Trust
by BadgerWolf
Summary: It was just another normal work day for Johnny, but settled in his chair looking down on his sleeping lover, he wonders just how it was he became so lucky to have Randy in his life when he'd so nearly destroyed him. Set during the events of MU, JohnnyxRandall
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Monsters Inc., Monsters University and all characters herein belong to Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios.**

**A/N: Well guys and gals, this is my very first fanfiction. Or at least, the very first I've uploaded anywhere on the net. I'm hoping it isn't too cringe-worthy, but would GREATLY appreciate your reviews, especially any criticism you may have. I'd really like to become better, as I'm sure is the dream of everyone here. So, tell me what you think, even if it's whether or not you're interested in reading more, and I'll be sure to move this story right along.**

**Just want to say, this is a pairing I'd never really thought about much until I saw quite how popular it was. It's... growing on me, I'll admit. So, whether you're a fan of this pairing or not, I hope you'll still be able to enjoy this story. Thanks everyone!**

* * *

"Honey, I'm home!"

Randy rolled his eyes at the cheesy greeting, looking up from his newspaper to find a large purple-furred monster with horns and two prominent lower fangs closing the door behind him.

"Oh Johnny, how sweet of you," he replied in mock-glee. "You called me honey! Now I know our relationship is serious."

"Oh shuddup," Johnny smiled, making his way over to kiss his partner on the snout. He then made his way to the kitchen, calling out on his way. "At least I'm trying, huh?"

"A sense of humour is as important as actual sentiment, I suppose," came the reply, a slight chuckle following.

"Well how's this for sentiment? I've just gotten home from work, and I'm making some tea as we speak."

Randy couldn't help but smile behind the newspaper he'd begun reading again. "Oh, well I certainly can't argue with that."

"Too right you can't, babe," came the reply, the horned monster coming back into the living room with two cups of tea. He carefully set them upon the two coasters on the coffee table, remembering his last lecture on stains when he'd neglected to use them. He looked back over to Randy, taking more interest in the paper. "What're you reading there?"

"Two guesses," Randy stated plainly.

Johnny's face twisted into a look of dreariness. "Still?"

"Mm-hm."

Randy turned the newspaper over for Johnny to see, pointing at the article that filled up the whole page and, judging by the arrow at the bottom-right corner, spilled over to the next. Johnny's eyes settled first on the picture, a picture of himself in his ROR sweatshirt, and then on the headline, in large, bold, capitalised text; "PROMINENT MU SCARE GRADUATE JOINS CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT!"

Johnny sighed; sitting in his armchair and leaning all the way back, using a finger and thumb to rub the bridge of his nose. "There are so many things wrong with that, I don't even know where to begin."

Randy looked over to his partner with a slight smirk on his face. "Really? I think the article really does you justice."

Johnny looked over to Randy, studying his reptilian features for a moment. A genuine smile spread across his purple-scaled face, his eyes glinting with pride which, Johnny noted, was much easier to see with the way Randy's glasses magnified them.

"While that is sweet and all," Johnny began, a slight smile forming on his face before giving way to a frown. "Let me explain. First, it's not like I've only just graduated, I've been working for Fear Co. for a year and a half now. They really don't need to emphasise the 'graduate' part, and I'm sure they could've used something other than an old MU stock photo."

Randy just chuckled at this, leaning back on the couch, not willing to interrupt his beloved.

"Second, this isn't actually news. I've been 'out' since before I got together with you a couple years ago, and I've never really been quiet about it."

"Even when I wanted you to," Randy sighed, although his smile only grew.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed, missing the meaning behind Randy's statement and instead using the point to further his own argument. "And I've always been pretty active within the LGBT community. And third, I don't see why I'm such a big deal in the first place. I mean sure, I was a frat leader, and my work isn't half bad, but there are still some other openly gay monsters out there that are much more news-worthy than I am."

Randy, sensing Johnny's rant was over, leaned forward again, setting the paper aside on the table and taking his cup, bringing it to his lips to take a small sip.

"Well I can see what you're saying," Randy began, putting his cup down. "But allow me to offer my counter-argument."

Johnny rolled his eyes, leaning his head on his fist, already looking bored. "Oh, this should be good," he replied, not even bothering to hide the sarcasm from his voice.

"Hear me out," Randy said, holding his four hands up defensively. "Well, let's take this on in order. Firstly, MU is an incredibly sought-out educational institution, particularly for the Scaring program. Anyone who graduates the program is already well-respected in the field of scaring."

"True."

Randy nodded. "And as for the photo, well, everyone knows frat guys are hot. And let's face it, that sweatshirt only accentuated the fact that you were the sexiest guy on campus."

Johnny chuckled, his smile portraying amusement as well as a bit of pride. "Well, that _is_ a well-known fact. But please, do stroke my ego some more," he said, a cheeky look on his face.

Randy laughed. "I would, but I'd be afraid it wouldn't fit if it grew any bigger, even with an apartment as spacious as ours."

Johnny's smile faded, and he looked up to the ceiling, his face becoming a little thoughtful. He then looked back at Randy, his smile returning. "Also true."

Randy laughed again. "Anyway, back to the point. Secondly, there's a little bit of a difference between being a part of a college LGBT club, and openly opposing the government as a high-profile Scarer."

"High-profile?" Johnny snorted. "Like I already said, I'm not-"

"Hold on, I'm getting to that," Randy interrupted, waving both his left hands. "Thirdly, you _are_ a high-profile employee of Fear Co., just look at the buzz you stirred when you almost broke the rookie Scare record."

"I wasn't _that_ close Randy."

Randy shook his head, looking slightly shocked. "What do you mean you weren't that close? You were less than fifty points off!"

Johnny's smile vanished, taking on a slightly annoyed look. "Forty-seven, but thanks for bringing it up again."

Randy sighed, shaking his head again. "Not this again… Look, you're missing my point Johnny. What I mean is, to come so close to a record that's been held for almost **ten years** is bound to have the media buzzing about you. I'd even go so far as to say you gained celebrity status."

Johnny just gazed at his lover in astonishment. "Celebrity…?"

"Don't tell me you'd never even considered that?"

"Well, no, not really. I mean, sure I've got my family name going for me, but it's not like I actually _broke_ the record or anything."

Randy's jaw visibly dropped, although he quickly regained his composure, a smirk threatening to appear. "Well, well, well. Whatever happened to Johnny Worthington, egotistical leader of Roar Omega Roar? You always used to be so cocky and self-assured."

"You're one to talk, Boggs." Johnny grew more amused when Randy looked shocked at the use of his last name. "Now that just so eloquently paints the picture I wanted. Whatever happened to the little geeky lizard slithering around the campus, always looking so timid and unsure? Kinda how you look now," he added with a smirk.

Randy relaxed again, looking somewhat pensive. "I guess you could say… We've both grown up."

Johnny nodded, his genuine smile showing Randy just how far his boyfriend had come since first meeting. Randy stretched out a little before standing up, swiftly slithering his way over to the armchair. He took up his favourite position, sitting in Johnnys lap, coiling his arms loosely around Johnnys neck and draping his four legs over the side.

"Please, by all means make yourself comfortable," Johnny chuckled.

"That was the plan," Randy beamed, giving Johnny a quick kiss on the cheek before looking more thoughtful.

A brief silence fell over them. Johnny looked down on Randy, seeing how deep in thought he looked. Just as he was about to ask why, Randy broke the silence first.

"Do you remember when we first got together?"

Johnny's smile dropped. "Yeah, I do. It, uh… wasn't exactly the most romantic of circumstances, was it?"

"Well, I dunno, it's still a memory I look back on fondly."

Looking down on the reptilian monster, Johnny felt a tug at his heartstrings. He remembered all too well the circumstances of their getting together, and to this day felt ashamed of the way he'd acted. But seeing the smile on his lovers face as he genuinely stated he cherished the memory was enough to bring a tear to the hulking monsters eye.

"What did I ever do to deserve a guy like you, Randall Boggs?"

Randy simply smiled wider, lifting a hand to lightly tap on the larger monsters nose. "You saved me."

Were Johnny a more sensitive type, he was sure his lip would have started quivering at that statement. Instead, he brought a hand to the back of Randy's head and leaned in, kissing him deeply yet gently. Once he broke the kiss, he used the same hand to carefully smooth over the fronds on his lovers head, knowing how sensitive they were. He smiled as the younger monster shivered at the touch, looking up at him with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"There was a time I treated you like crap," Johnny admitted guiltily.

"I think you more than made up for it."

Randy turned his head slightly, a yawn leaving him, before he snuggled his head into his lovers shoulder. Johnny just held him closer, looking down on him as he slowly began to fall asleep. Johnny hated to admit it, but he was never more comfortable, or happier, than when his lover fell asleep in his arms. The love, and the trust, that this one simple action held meant more to him than all the records or trophies the world could offer him. It was the trust that he'd earned. The trust that he cherished.

The trust that he'd once broken, and never hoped to regain.


	2. Chapter 1: Recognition

**3 years earlier.**

Making the short trek from the dorms to Frat Row, a shy, purple-scaled reptilian monster could be seen muttering quietly to himself, a tray of cupcakes in his hands. Randy was on his way to his first fraternity party, and he was determined to make a good impression.

He sniggered to himself, the 'wild man' comment from his green cycloptic roommate still echoing in his head. He only hoped he could make that kind of impression, and become more popular than he ever was in high school.

After passing by the amphitheatre, the young monster stopped in his tracks, getting his first proper look at Frat Row. He looked around in amazement, taking in all the homes of the campus' various fraternities and sororities. There were many of them, fifteen by Randy's count, and he noted that not a single one looked alike, in structure or colour scheme.

There were many lights hung around most of the houses, and trailing between the street lights, illuminating the street in various different colours. Just as many monsters lined the street, cheering and partying, although the largest bulk of them were towards the end of the row.

He started off towards the party, reading aloud the lettering on the front of each house as he passed, trying to picture each fraternity and sorority in his mind as he did and, in the case of the fraternities, imagining what it would be like to be a part of them.

As the sound of music and cheering grew louder, Randy looked straight ahead at the largest of the houses as it loomed larger and larger in his view. It was decorated mostly in white and a deep crimson, with a slight splash of gold from the curtains visible through the windows, matching the colours of the fraternity that inhabited it.

"Roar Omega Roar," Randy said dreamily to himself, looking up at the large lettering set just above the entrance. He then looked up at the house to its left, stopping just yards away, and took in the view, the butterflies in his stomach growing. The house wasn't quite as big as the ROR house, but impressive nonetheless. It was also mostly white, with a gold trim decorating a large portion of the house. The large lettering read 'JOX', the hosts of tonight's party.

He looked down at the cupcakes, and suddenly wondered if the cupcakes were a bad idea. They weren't 'cool' in the traditional sense, he knew, but his mother had assured him good cooking and baking skills could be quite popular at a university when so many students didn't have them. He also smiled slightly as he remembered his mother saying it could even be a way to make a little money, if others were willing to have him cook for them. He took a deep breath in, tightening his grip on the tray slightly, and made his way into the house.

The first thing that hit him was the noise. The volume of the music he could only guess was set to max, because for as loud as it had seemed outside, it was near ear-splitting inside. Over that, various monsters cheering, hollering or just generally talking, or rather shouting, to each other could be clearly heard. Next was the sight of the house, the interior decorated mostly with the same white and gold from outside, but every side being covered almost wall-to-wall with various JOX, MU and other memorabilia, from banners to street signs to various posters he knew would have been sold on-campus, a couple of which he'd already purchased himself.

Having taken in the sights and sounds, and realising he'd lingered in the entryway longer than he'd meant to, Randy decided it was time to try and make his presence known. However, with so much noise and so many monsters in one place, nerves got the better of him and he made his way back outside. He decided it might be better to move around to the back of the house where it was slightly quieter and less crowded. Perhaps if he felt more confident, he'd try going back inside.

Once reaching the steps that led to the back entrance, he found a couple of girls sat on the steps on the other side of the doorway. One was blue-grey with medium-length black hair, the other was dark pink with shorter purple hair and three eyes. He noted that they both looked like goths, with black clothing and dark make-up, the 'HSS' insignia displayed on the pink monsters jacket. Randy paused for a moment, wondering if they would be the most approachable people to try and make his first impression on, but decided to try anyway. He took a deep breath and approached them, hoping this would be the moment he'd start to make some new friends.

"Cupcake?" he offered, holding out the tray to them both.

They both turned to him, looking unimpressed. But Randy didn't have the time to dwell on this, as no sooner had he made his offer he was shoved violently from behind. The tray, along with the cupcakes, flew into the air before either falling to the floor or landing comically in his face. The two girls sighed and rolled their eyes, turning their attention away from him. Mortified, Randy quickly removed the cupcakes and wiped the worst of the frosting from his face, a large blush forming in its place. He looked around and tried to figure out who had shoved him, but couldn't see any sign of them. He then looked at the cupcakes in his hands, noting that three of them were still salvageable, and quickly went to retrieve the tray, placing the cupcakes back on them. He then ducked his head down and quickly made his way inside, hoping to set the tray down somewhere before finding a bathroom to wash himself off before anyone had the chance to make a comment.

"Whoa, easy there little guy," came a voice from in front of him, and it was only then Randy noticed he'd almost walked into someone.

"Sorry," Randy said shyly, looking up. He gasped as soon as he saw who it was.

Standing before him was a taller, purple-furred monster with two large horns, two fangs prominent in the amused smile set upon his face. He wore a gold coloured shirt, with a crimson sweater over it, and in broad golden lettering was 'ROR' spread across the front. Randy's gaze snapped to the monsters hand as soon as he realised it was being offered to him, and he timidly offered one of his own to shake.

"Johnny Worthington, president of Roar Omega Roar."

"I-I'm Randy, Randy Boggs," the reptilian monster replied, even shyer than before.

"Looks like you had quite the accident," Johnny said with a playful smile.

"Y-yeah, I got knocked into. Ended up with a few of these in the face," he said with a chuckle, gesturing to the cupcakes. "These are OK though, if you wanted one."

Johnny looked down at the cupcakes and smiled awkwardly, thinking them an odd thing to bring to a party. However, he shrugged the thought off and took one. "Well, don't mind if I do."

He took a bite from cupcake, and seemed to savour it a little before swallowing.

"Mm, this is really good," Johnny said with a smile. "You bake these yourself?"

Randy simply nodded, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well, I gotta say, it's not something you'd usually expect to be brought to a party, but… if they taste this good, why not?" he finished with a shrug, before eating the rest of the cupcake.

"Th-thanks…"

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "You're awfully quiet. Something wrong?"

Randy shook his head. "It's just… well, I was wondering… why someone like you would be talking to… someone like me."

Johnny smiled gently. "Well, I guess you could say I'm not one to judge a book by its cover."

Randy smiled at this. He was about to say something, but was interrupted by a loud and overexcited voice behind him.

"Johnny! You gotta come see this!"

"Calm down Chet, I'll be right there," Johnny replied, looking past Randy for just a moment before turning back to him. "Looks like I've been requested elsewhere. Perhaps I'll see you around?"

"Sure, I'd like that," Randy beamed.

Johnny started to make his way past Randy before turning back to him. "Oh, and Randy?"

"Yes?"

Johnny removed a little frosting from Randy's face with a finger and promptly licked it clean. "Keep up the baking, your skills are too good to go to waste." He flashed a smile and winked before exiting the house.

Randy just stood on the spot in complete shock. 'Did he just… _flirt_ with me?' he thought. He shook his head slightly, thinking better of it. 'There's no way the president of the top fraternity would be interested in me. Besides, he's probably not even into guys. Right?'

He walked over to a nearby table and set the tray down, and then ducked his head down again before making his way through the crowd towards the hall, hoping to find a bathroom. Thankfully, the first door he tried led to just that, and he chuckled slightly to himself when he noticed it was decorated in the same colours as the rest of the house. He made his way to the sink, turning the tap on and splashing his face with cold water. He wiped the rest of the frosting away, and dabbed his face dry with a towel.

"There, much better," he said to himself. He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment, still thinking on Johnny's actions just a moment ago. He wasn't even sure what anyone would see in him. Sure, he'd love to catch someone's interest, and to him gender wasn't an issue, but the most popular guy on campus? The idea was ludicrous to the young monster.

He made his way back to the games room. He'd only just realised what the room was now that he wasn't trying to hide himself from embarrassing glances. He took the tray back from the table, and thought to try to offer the last of the cupcakes to someone.

Scanning the room, he saw a couple of monsters at the other side separate from the rest of the crowd, talking to each other in raised voices, and made his way over to them. One he noticed was large and red, wearing a yellow jacket that sported the 'JOX' insignia on it, while the other was a smaller orange monster with bat-like wings, a yellow sash around his body also sporting the same insignia. He held out the tray in two hands, and used a third to cover his mouth as he cleared his throat, garnering the two monsters attention.

"Cupcake?" he offered, trying to match the volume of the two monsters voices to be heard above the music.

The two monsters looked Randy over, then the cupcakes, and turned to each other with a slight grimace. The larger of the two shrugged, took the two cupcakes and smiled slightly, not one to crush the young reptilian's hopes. "Thanks kid," he muttered, handing one cupcake to his friend.

The two began talking again, but noticing Randy hadn't moved to leave them to it, the larger red monster turned to Randy again. There was a slight twinkle in his eyes which confused him at first, before realising the younger monster must have been waiting for them to try the cupcakes. He turned back to his friend, gesturing to the cupcake, and took a bite of his own, watching as his friend did the same. He swallowed the food, and then looked down at the cake, a startled look on his face. Before thinking, he shoved the rest of the cupcake in his mouth, paper included, and quickly ate it. He turned back to Randy and gave him a hearty pat on the back, almost causing the tray to fall to the ground, laughing a little louder than Randy had expected.

"Wow kid, you sure have a taste in cupcakes! You make these yourself?"

Slightly taken aback by the booming voice from the other monster, he took a gulp and nodded his head weakly.

"Well, lemme tell ya this is one of the best I've ever tasted! You keep at it man!"

Randy smiled wide; this was more than he could have hoped for, being complimented on his baking not once, but twice in one night. He noted that the other monster had been nodding vigorously as the larger monster had been saying this, and smiled even wider.

"Wow, thanks," he said, finally finding his voice again.

The larger red monster held out a hand to Randy, which he took in one of his spare hands, and was jolted around by the rough handshake offered to him.

"The name's Roy O'Growlahan, but everyone here calls me Big Red. I'm the president of Jaws Theta Chi, the fraternity of this awesome house you're now standing in. That there's Omar," he gestured to the smaller orange monster, who was hovering just to the side of him.

"Randy, Randy Boggs," he replied, shaking his arm out slightly to get rid of the dull ache left by Big Red's handshake.

"Nice to meet ya Randy. Well, don't let us keep ya, get in there and grab a beer. Enjoy the party man! And make sure to bring more of those cakes to the next party, yeah? They're just too good!"

Randy blushed slightly at receiving such praise, but he nodded his head enthusiastically and gave his thanks again before making his way back towards the table. Now that it was empty, he set the tray down on the table again. He then turned towards the door to the back of the house, hearing an eruption of cheering. Poking his head out, he saw a group of students parading away with an orange and yellow pig. He then looked further up, towards the ROR house, and spotted the ROR fraternity with the blue and purple monster he recognised from his first class. He squinted his eyes a little, trying to figure out what was going on. They seemed to be arguing with someone. A small, round-looking green monster. He gasped, realising it was Mike.

Walking out to the balcony, he leaned on the railing, hoping to hear what was being said. He didn't manage to catch the whole conversation, but he heard enough. It seemed Sulley and Mike had both done something impressive involving a scare-pig, which he guessed was the one that was paraded off just minutes ago. But for it, Sulley received all the praise and was invited to join ROR, while they chastised Mike for not looking like a student who stood a chance at becoming a Scarer.

Randy became a little angry as he watched his friend storm off back towards the dorms. 'Not one to judge a book by its cover? Yeah, right,' he thought.

Not in the mood to carry on partying, he made his way back inside to collect the tray and make his way back to Mike. However, just as he reached to grab the tray, he felt himself being yanked away. Looking behind him, he noticed the monster dragging him was Big Red.

"Where are you dragging me?" he asked, not quite as amused as he would have been considering the scene he'd just witnessed.

"To where the fun is at, little man," he replied, his voice booming with excitement. "We just managed to get the table fixed, and everyone's itching to watch another game."

Randy was just about to ask what kind of table, and game, he was talking about, but he got his answer as he was placed in front of a rather battered-looking ping pong table, and had four paddles shoved in his hands by the red monster.

"Look guys, I managed to find someone else with four arms!" Big Red called proudly.

The room erupted with cheers, excitement buzzing around the monsters who were watching intently.

"Hey kid, ya know how to play ping pong?" Big Red asked, only just now realising how crucial the answer would be.

"Um, well, I've played a few times, but only ever with two paddles."

"That's alright," he smiled. He called over to the blue spotted monster at the other side of the table, who was already holding his four paddles ready. "Hey, the kids somewhat new to the game. Give him a couple practice runs."

The blue monster nodded, and served two balls at a leisurely pace. Randy hit them back successfully, and they got a small rally going. He then added two more balls, and Randy just about managed to hit them all back the first couple of times, but missed on the third try.

"Oh, sorry," Randy said, slumping his shoulders slightly in embarrassment.

"Don't sweat it kid," Big Red reassured him. "That wasn't bad for your first try with four paddles and balls. Besides, not everyone can be Javier Rios," he chuckled.

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" the blue monster called over.

Everyone in the room laughed, including the blue monster, eventually. Big Red fetched the balls and handed them to Randy, patting his back surprisingly lightly.

"Just give it another try, you'll get it soon enough."

Randy nodded his head, a more determined look displayed on his face. He turned back to face the other four-armed monster. He couldn't believe he'd already gotten so much attention. 'And just for how many arms I have', he thought, amused at the turn of events. He bounced all four balls on the table simultaneously before serving them to his opponent.

The rest of the night was spent with everyone watching the two play ping pong, and Randy slowly got better and better at it. He was starting to wonder what all the excitement was in just one sport, but later found out there were only two good ping pong players with more than two arms; the blue monster he was facing off against (whose name he never learnt), and Javier Rios, one of the members of ROR. Big Red explained it was just exciting to see someone else who fit the bill coming close to how good the other two were.

By the time the party died out, Big Red showed Randy out, wishing him a good night.

"Dude, you've totally gotta come to the next party!" he said excitedly. "We might even get ya up against Javier! Man, that'd be something to see."

Randy chuckled at his enthusiasm, still shocked someone so popular had taken such a keen interest in him. "Well, thanks for a great night Big Red. I don't think I've ever had so much fun."

"It was my pleasure, little man. You're welcome any time we hold a party."

Randy nodded his head, and waved to him as he started back towards the dorms.

"Oh, and Randy!" Big Red called out to him.

"Yeah?!" Randy called out, turning his head back.

"Cupcakes!" he shouted, a huge grin on his face.

"Sure thing!"

Randy walked back to the dorms with a large smile on his face, thoughts of the whole evening running through his mind. The ping pong, the chance meeting with Johnny, the argument outside the ROR house…

"Oh no…" Randy muttered to himself. He'd completely forgotten that he was going to head back early to comfort Mike.

He broke out in a sprint, and made the rest of the journey within minutes. Reaching his and Mike's dorm room, he quietly unlocked and opened the door, peering inside. Mike seemed to be curled up under his duvet, and light snoring could be heard. Randy then looked to his clock, the time glowing an eerie green. It read 3:06, and Randy felt a twinge of guilt hit him, realising how much longer he'd stayed at the party than he originally intended to.

Tiredness then suddenly hit him, and he closed the door before silently crawling his way over to his own bed. He pulled back the duvet, climbed in and curled into the warmth. His eyes fell heavily, and one last thing ran through his mind before sleep took him.

'Hopefully things'll look better for Mike in the morning.'

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**A/N: So, at first I was hoping to keep this story focused simply on how Randy and Johnny's relationship came to be. But instead, what I now want to do is go over most of their experiences throughout Monsters University. I feel it's important to show how they came to be the monsters they are in the prologue, and almost every detail will be important in explaining that. There will inevitably be a bit of Mike and Sulley here and there, but by no means will they be primary to this story because, hey, that's what the movie's for.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this. I also hope to put out at least a chapter a week, but unfortunately, with my own university (and job) to attend I make no promises. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and/or followed the story so far. You have no idea how much it means to me.**

**Reviews are highly appreciated, long or short. And if you have any criticism, then please, by all means lay it on me. And most of all, I hope you enjoy the story!**


	3. Chapter 2: Defiance

With a start, Randy sprung out of bed. Sunlight filtering through the window had awoken him; it was rare that he slept through sunrise, and for a moment he panicked about missing class. He hadn't realised he'd gotten out of breath due to the panic, nor that his roommate was sitting at his desk and staring at him wide-eyed.

"Are you alright Randy?" the small green monster asked, concerned as well as shocked at the sudden disturbance.

"Yeah, sorry Mike," he said, clutching his chest as though he were trying to slow his heart rate back down. "Just had to remind myself it's a Saturday."

Mike chuckled and shook his head slightly before turning back to the book laid open on his desk. "How'd the party go last night?"

"Uhh, yeah, it wasn't too bad," he replied, biting his lip as the guilt of not checking on Mike came back to him. "How about you? Did ya get much studying done?"

"Pfft, no. Let's just say I was… interrupted."

"Interrupted?" the purple monster repeated. "Interrupted how?"

"You remember that cocky, big-mouthed blue and purple monster who disrupted our first class of the semester?" he asked, to which Randy nodded, wincing slightly at the bile that seemed to be pouring from Mike's words. "Yeah, well _he's_ the one who interrupted me. Sullivan. For some reason he decided it'd be a good idea to steal Fear Tech's mascot and shove it through our window."

"What?!" Randy blurted out louder than he'd meant to. He took a quick look around the room, finding nothing out of place. "He must've made a big mess though, right?"

"Oh yeah, the dumb pig knocked all sorts of things out of place, including the bookcase. And then there was the mascot…" he said, chuckling slightly at his own joke.

Randy chuckled as well, rolling his eyes. "Well, ya did a good job of cleaning up then Mike. I'm just sorry I wasn't around to help out."

"Nah, it's alright. Didn't take too long thankfully. Besides, that wasn't even what ticked me off most about the guy. See, the scare-pig took my hat and we both chased it all the way down to Frat Row. I was the one who caught it, yet Sullivan took all the credit. He was approached by all the top fraternities, I think. But he was even taken in by Roar Omega Roar, who I'm pretty sure are the top fraternity on campus. And not only did they not even recognise _my_ skill for catching the pig, they didn't take me seriously as Scare student."

"No…" Randy breathed lowly. "But that's not fair…"

"Yeah, I know. But Sullivan was the one who actually said I didn't stand a chance. So from now on, I'm gonna study twice as hard and make sure I ace the finals. He doesn't even seem to think you _need_ to study to scare. So I'm gonna show him how wrong he is."

"Well good luck to you Mike, not that you need it," Randy said as he flashed a grin, patting Mike on the back. He didn't feel any more really needed to be said; Mike seemed more determined rather than upset about last night.

"Thanks," he replied, flipping a page.

Randy walked to the door and opened it, but turned around before exiting the dorm room. "Say, Mike? Want to join me at the cafeteria? Should be kinda quiet this early. You haven't eaten yet, right?"

"No, that's alright Randy, I just want to get some studying done," he said, not looking up from his book.

"Oh, well, OK then…" he said, his smile dropping.

Mike looked up when he detected the disappointment in his roomie's voice. "But, maybe later. For lunch?"

"OK, that'd be great," he replied, beaming. He then stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Johnny awoke slowly, pushing himself up in his bed slightly to reach over to the clock on his bedside cabinet. He turned it towards him and read the digits that glowed a faint green. 9:35. He sighed, knowing he was too wide awake to be getting any more sleep, and sat himself up in bed. He clutched his head, the room spinning slightly as it started to throb.

"Oh man, some party last night…" he muttered to himself.

He slowly swept his legs over the side of the bed, and felt something under his feet that was furrier than he remembered his carpet being. He looked down to find a large blue and purple-furred monster lying on the floor, clutching a half-empty beer bottle in his hand. For a moment, Johnny wondered who the monster was before memories of last night flooded his mind. The JOX party, the geeky lizard-like monster he bumped into with the amazing cupcakes, which he still thought was odd, the chase with the scare-pig he witnessed and recruiting Sulley, who they then continued to party with and, judging by the way his head was now pounding, drank to excess.

A small smirk spread across his lips, and the childish notion of pranking the freshman on his bedroom floor crossed his mind before dismissing it, judging himself too hung-over to be bothered with it. Instead, he nudged Sulley a few times with his foot, trying to rouse the monster from his sleep.

"Yo, Big Blue, get up," he chuckled, watching as the blue monster's eyes snapped open and he scrabbled around a little as though he were caught somewhere he shouldn't be.

Sulley slowly sat up and pressed his hand to his head in a similar fashion to Johnny, only to hit himself in the face with the bottle he still held on to. Johnny laughed at this before groaning in pain, the action of laughing only hurting his head more. Sulley looked over at the older monster with blurry eyes, rubbing at them and yawning before attempting speech.

"Where am I? What time is it?" he asked, a little dazed.

"You're at the ROR house, and by the looks of it you passed out on my bedroom floor," he chuckled. "Can't quite remember how or why you got in my room, but oh well. And the time is about half-past nine."

"And you're up already?" he asked, scratching his head. "You know it's a weekend, right?"

"No rest for the wicked, Big Blue," Johnny smiled. "I've got a project to study for already. Being a senior's a lot more hard work than you'll be doing as a freshman."

"Ahh, I see," he said, stretching his arms and back before getting to his feet. "Well, now that we're up, how about breakfast? You don't need to get to your studying straight away, right?"

"On an empty stomach? Hell no," the purple-furred monster chuckled. "C'mon, you get off to your dorm and grab whichever books you need. I'll round up the guys and we'll meet at the cafeteria. After that we'll head over to the library."

Sulley looked slightly disappointed. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Johnny cocked an eyebrow quizzically. "Sulley, life isn't just one big party. There's work involved too."

"I know, I know. Guess I was just hoping for something… more interesting. Y'know, with it being my first day in the frat and all."

"Whoa, hold up there Big Blue. You didn't forget you still have to get through initiation, right?"

Sulley rolled his eyes. "Well, no, but that's in the bag anyway," he chuckled.

"Confident, huh? I like it," Johnny smiled. "Anyway, c'mon, get outta here. There's usually only one reason anyone gets invited to my room, and you don't want people talking, do you?"

Sulley just laughed at this and headed for the door. "Aww, you're breaking my heart Johnny," he said in mock-hurt. "I thought last night we had something special." He clutched at his chest to add to the charade.

Johnny laughed and threw a pillow at the monster, who simply laughed back. "Don't worry babe, there'll be plenty of time for that," he added with a wink.

Sulley laughed more before he stepped out of the room, muttering a "yeah right" as he made his way downstairs and out of the house. Johnny watched him go with an amused smirk, before he started to think hard about last night. He began to remember how Sulley came to be in his room. After the party died down, he'd led the younger monster there hoping to get lucky. He started complimenting him again on his prank on Fear Tech and then began hitting on Sulley, who had somewhat returned the flirting at first, but it soon became clear he wasn't interested. But both were too drunk to move out of the room, so they both crashed there for the night; Johnny on the bed, and Sulley on the floor.

Johnny heaved a heavy sigh. A lot of things were going right for him, but just lately his love life wasn't one of them. He then had a thought tug at the back of his mind. He remembered the young reptilian monster from the JOX party. The shy, nervous looking monster who'd had the accident with the cupcakes. He was pretty cute in his own way, Johnny thought. And he _had_ blushed at Johnny's thinly veiled attempt at flirting.

Johnny shrugged. Sure, Randy, whose name suddenly came to him, wasn't his usual type of guy. But he'd be damned if he didn't admit he found the freshman attractive. He got up from his bed and set out to round up the other ROR members. He smirked to himself, the thought of meeting up with Randy again actually making him happier.

* * *

Randy pushed open the large double doors, making his way into the cafeteria. As he'd suspected, it was fairly empty in comparison to a weekday morning. He looked around a little, taking in the details of the blue and white décor of the area that was usually barely visible past the vast number of students crowding it. There were a couple of monsters sat at the similarly decorated blue and white tables, but he wasn't interested in trying to approach any of them. Instead, he took some gross beef sandwiches and, after some deliberation, a hot sludge sundae, paid for it all, and set his tray down at an empty table. He used the opportunity to get a little studying done, opening up his copy of Scaring Theory volume VII and reading whilst eating his food.

After a short while Randy heard a large group of monsters approaching the cafeteria entrance, who all seemed to be talking rather enthusiastically about whatever it was they were discussing. He couldn't quite make out the details of the conversation, just the general noise and inflections in the monsters tones. He thought it a little unusual to hear such energetic conversation so early on a weekend, but didn't bother to look up from his book even when they entered the cafeteria. Having finished his first, he picked up his second sandwich whilst simultaneously turning the page of his book, the grace with which he performed these actions together now being second nature to the four-armed monster, although it hadn't gone unnoticed by one monster.

Randy soon felt a presence standing over him, and before he could look up or even utter a word, he was face to face with Johnny who had taken a seat next to him.

"Hey there, Randy," he said with a smile. "Hard at study this morning I see. The party didn't take too much out of you then?"

"No, I'm not usually one to sleep much anyway," he replied simply before returning to his book.

Johnny was slightly taken aback, he wasn't used to someone being more inclined to read a book than pay attention to him. He cleared his throat before thinking of what next to say. "So, uh… did you manage to make any new friends at the party?" He silently cursed himself for the rather stupid sounding question; he wasn't usually much for small talk, and was beginning to wonder why he was bothering.

"I did, as a matter of fact," Randy replied nonchalantly, not turning away from his book.

Johnny waited a moment, expecting Randy to elaborate. When he didn't, Johnny decided he'd need to press for more information. "So, who'd you get talking to?"

Randy sighed and closed his book, figuring Johnny wasn't about to leave him be. "Well, Big Red mostly. And, uh…" He scratched his head, still trying to think of his ping pong opponent's name. "Y'know, I can't remember if the other guy's name was said. But he was blue, spotted and had four arms, and he was good at ping pong. I mean, _really_ good."

"Ah, that'd be Zane Xiao," he replied with a smirk. "Best ping pong player on campus, closely followed by my boy Javier." He pointed to the tall, dark blue bug-like monster who was loading up a plate of food with the others.

It was then Randy noticed that Sulley was with them. He didn't have a ROR jacket, '_yet_' Randy thought, but he had no doubt that he was practically a member already.

"So how'd you get to know Zane?" Johnny asked curiously, snapping Randy's attention back to him.

"Oh, we were playing ping pong. He was showing me the ropes; it was my first time playing with four paddles rather than two. It was Big Red's idea. And all because I happened to have four arms," he chuckled.

Johnny laughed at this too. "That sounds like Big Red, never one for giving something too much thought before doing it. So, are you any good?"

Randy shrugged. "I think I was alright. I held my own, but I doubt Zane was playing his best."

"Hmm…" Johnny stroked his chin slightly. "Maybe we can get you to play a game against Javier some time."

"Yeah, maybe," Randy said, less enthused. He turned back to his book and opened it again.

The action didn't escape Johnny's notice, and he was starting to get frustrated. However, instead of getting angry or using intimidation to get what he wanted, as would usually be the case, he remained calm and tried to take a diplomatic approach. "Did I… do something to offend you last night?"

Randy looked up at him and blinked. "No, why?"

"It's just you seem… kinda off with me."

"Oh, right," he said, not dignifying it with a proper response and turning back to his book again. "Sorry," he muttered insincerely.

Johnny's fur started to bristle. He didn't like the attitude he was getting from the freshman, but still tried to persist calmly. "That… didn't really answer my question. I mean, when we met at the party, I thought you were… a little interested in me, maybe?"

Randy's head snapped straight back to face Johnny, his eyes only widening further in disbelief at the senior as he smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well I thought it was pretty obvious. I hit on you a little, and you had the cutest little blush. I got the vibe that you liked what you saw." Johnny gestured to his body with his last words, his smirk widening.

"Oh, well, perhaps…" he stammered, blushing slightly. "But I didn't realise how much of a jerk you were at that point." Randy instantly covered his mouth with two hands, not sure why he'd just said what he did.

Johnny on the other hand, just stared in disbelief, his mouth agape. "Where… where did that come from?" he asked, not hiding his anger anymore. "What makes you think I'm a jerk?"

Randy flinched slightly at the anger displayed by the older monster, but decided that now that he'd begun, he might as well carry on. "Well, it wasn't what you said to me. But what happened after you left."

"After I left?" he asked, confused.

"Yes," he said through gritted teeth, his own anger now coming through at Johnny's persistence at playing innocent. "I saw how you humiliated Mike."

"Mike?" Johnny still looked just as puzzled.

"Yes, Mike. The short green monster with one eye." Randy saw Johnny's eyes widen in recognition of the monster. "Yeah, that's Mike. He happens to be my friend, and my roommate, by the way. Anyway, I saw how you humiliated him in front of everyone else at Frat Row. You and Sullivan over there." He gestured to the big blue freshman, who was currently waiting in line to pay for his food with the others.

"So, that's what's got you upset?" Johnny asked, furrowing his brow. "The fact that we called him out on his inability to scare?"

"Inability?" Randy said angrily. "How would you even know that?"

"C'mon Randy, look at him. He's a walking, talking beach ball. He isn't half as big as pretty much anyone else in the Scaring program either. There's no way he's gonna make it as a Scarer."

"Says who?" Randy practically snarled, causing the older monster to back away slightly. "And besides, why the interest in me? As you put it, I'm not 'half as big as pretty much anyone else in the Scaring program'. Why haven't you said the same kind of thing to me that you did to him?"

"Well, I didn't realise you were a Scaring major too," Johnny snarled back. "But maybe I do think the same thing. You don't really stand a chance either."

"That's what you think!" Randy shouted, causing everyone to look in his direction, the other ROR members included. "Y'know, scaring isn't all about looks! It comes down to knowledge, and ability too. And by the time the finals come, both Mike and I will show you exactly what we can do, despite appearances!"

"Easy there, Boggs," Johnny said, raising his voice in near-equal measure. "You do know who you're talking to, right? I come from a long line of Scarers, as do most of my frat brothers over there. And you and the walking beach ball, well, who are you two exactly? No-one's ever heard of either of you, you're nobodies. You just don't compare to what a real Scarer is, not like we do."

"Oh, so this is about class now is it?!" Randy shouted back. "Well I've got news for you, pal," he emphasised the last word by jabbing a finger into the senior's chest, "that wouldn't be the first time I've been made fun of just because I'm poor, or because my family is _so_ much less remarkable than anyone else's. I don't give a shit what you think, Worthington, because I've made it this far despite whatever I've been told along the way. So you carry on and be conceited in where you are because of your family's status, while I carry on the way I've been doing things, by studying hard and practicing. And _then_ we'll see who doesn't compare to what a real Scarer is."

Randy stood from his seat, and took his book, ignoring the rest of his second sandwich and the untouched sundae, storming past Johnny whilst muttering "just you wait and see".

Johnny turned around to face Randy as he pulled the doors open. "Try all you want Boggs, but you won't make it," he snarled, a cocky smirk soon replacing his look of anger. "Neither of you will."

Randy didn't bother adding anything more to the argument; he just turned his head away and stormed out of the cafeteria.

"Shit," Johnny muttered to himself. "Way to get him interested… That wasn't how that was supposed to go." He buried his head in his hands a moment before trailing them down his face. 'Why does my pride always get the better of me?' he thought, letting out a heavy sigh.

He then got up and made his way over to the others, who were now sat at a table on the other side of the cafeteria. Everyone's eyes were trained on him as he made his way over, and he took a seat between Sulley and Chet.

"What was eating him?" Sulley asked, chuckling.

Johnny shrugged and answered as though uninterested. "He was defending his friend Mike, it was about last night. He's a Scaring major too."

"Wait, he's Mike's friend?" Sulley turned to where Randy had left. "I almost feel sorry for the poor guy."

Johnny just remained silent, muttering thanks to Chet when he looked down to see the crab-like monster had gotten his usual breakfast for him. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the way he'd just treated Randy, but as far as Mike was concerned, he didn't feel guilty at all. The green monster just seemed too conceited in his abilities with nothing to immediately show for it, whereas Randy wasn't like that at all.

Johnny sighed as he started to tuck into his food, and although the other frat members exchanged concerned glances, nobody dared probe him further about the argument.

'I've got to make this right,' Johnny thought. 'I've got to make him see I didn't mean everything I said, because the truth is I like him. A lot.' He then chuckled silently at the thought of how cute Randy was when he was angry. But even cuter when he'd blushed.

Shaking off the thoughts, he decided to break the silence that seemed to grow increasingly awkward. "Right then guys, get this grub down your throats quick. We've got a _lot_ of studying to do today," he finished with a smile.

The others nodded and murmured with agreement, and casual conversation broke out amongst the group once again.

Once outside the cafeteria, Randy sighed heavily, his nerves finally catching up to him. He couldn't believe he'd gotten so angry with Johnny, even less that he actually shouted at him. But despite all the anger he held for the purple-furred monster, he couldn't help but think of how genuine he seemed to be when the conversation began. Plus, despite how intimidating he was, Randy had to admit Johnny was pretty hot when he snarled. 'Must be the fangs,' he thought, chuckling to himself.

He shook the thoughts from his head; he was supposed to be angry at the senior, not attracted to him. His thoughts then turned to Mike, who was probably still studying silently in their dorm room. As much as he'd like to have a rant with his roommate, he knew Mike wouldn't appreciate it, so he instead settled to find a tree to rest under on the fields of the campus, hoping to spend the morning studying in peace. At least he had lunch to look forward to; it was a rare feat to coax Mike out of the room over the weekend, and he was going to enjoy having some pleasant company for once.

* * *

**A/N: So, uh, yeah... About Zane's name. I honestly didn't catch it on my first couple of sweeps through the MU site for info, and only just found it a couple of days ago. I'm hoping it hasn't made too big an impact on the story, but hey, gives Johnny a reason to be helpful right? ^_^**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Leave a review if you'd like, I always appreciate praise, but I'd REALLY like some criticism. I'm more worried about these earlier chapters than I will be with the future ones (where things will get more interesting, I promise).**


	4. Chapter 3: Learning

**A/N: Short chapter is short. I'm most of the way through the next, so I hope to get that up tomorrow to compensate for the length (or lack thereof) of this one. Enjoy. ^_^**

* * *

"You did what?!"

"I'm telling ya Mike, I don't even know where it came from. I've never felt so angry, much less stood up to anyone."

"Tell me you're joking, Randy. Please tell me you're joking!"

"I'm sorry Mike; I just couldn't let him talk about ya like that, let alone me."

Mike sighed heavily and slumped forwards, resting his head in his hands. The tray containing his food was pushed forward by his elbows, the glass containing his sundae threatening to spill over at first before settling.

"We're dead," Mike whined, shaking his head slowly. "He's gonna kill us, I know he is."

Randy rolled his eyes. "Relax Mike, he won't hurt us. He'd be too afraid of getting thrown out of the program. The campus has rules against that sort of thing, after all."

Mike stared back at the reptilian monster with a wide eye, mouth slightly agape. "You're kidding, right? He's one of the most popular guys on campus! The rules don't apply to _him_. Plus he's a senior, and we're freshmen. If a fight did break out, who do you think the committee would believe?"

Randy bit his lip, realising what Mike was saying was true. The RORs could easily get physical, and get away with it. "I'm sure it won't come to that though, Mike. They're too proud to do that. If anything, they'll just try to humiliate us by proving we don't have what it takes to be Scarers. We just need to prove them wrong. Wasn't that already your plan?"

Mike considered this a moment; it was probably true that Johnny would rather prove his point intellectually. There was his reputation to consider. And that was a battle Mike was more than capable of fighting, or at least he hoped it was.

"Alright, I see your point. Then it's onwards with the original plan! We study our butts off and show Worthington exactly how scary we can be!"

Randy chuckled, but his smile soon dropped as he saw Mike bury his face in a textbook. Randy silently wondered if that was all Mike was ever going to do. At least Mike had kept his word and met him for lunch.

Looking around the cafeteria, Randy took in the slew of monsters now populating it, thankful there was no sign of the RORs. There were many more than that morning, although not so many as to consider the space over-crowded, and the general noise of chatter filled the air. It was somewhat relaxing to the young reptilian, the background noise more comfortable to him than the usual silence in their dorm room that seemed prevalent with Mike's ever-increasing study time.

"Hey, Mike," Randy said, trying to grab his attention once again. "Do you have any plans for this weekend? I mean, besides studying. I was wondering if you wanted to do something, maybe check out a club or see if there are any sports games to go along to."

Mike looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head. "Sorry Randy, none of the clubs really caught my eye, and I'm not interested in sports. I'd rather just stay in and study. Get ahead of the class."

"Alright…"

Mike again lowered his eye to the book, and Randy just sighed and leant on the table, picking at his food with a fork. The silence lasted for minutes, and Randy just cast his gaze in random areas of the cafeteria, silently wishing he'd brought his own textbook.

"Y'know Mike, I might head back to the dorm room. I-"

"Great idea," Mike interrupted. Before Randy could say another word, Mike had stood from his seat and picked up his book.

"What about your sundae?" Randy asked.

"Eh, I didn't really want it," Mike replied before making his way to the exit.

Randy just rolled his eyes and followed his roommate.

On the way back to the dorms, Mike had decided it would be a perfect time to give Randy a pop quiz on their theory from Scaring 101. After answering eight out of the ten questions correctly and earning himself a "not bad" from Mike, he was then handed the book to call out questions of his own choosing. Mike answered each question correctly without a moment's hesitation.

"Wow Mike," Randy started, clearly impressed. "You've answered almost everything from the first three chapters. You keep up this kind of studying and you'll have the whole program memorised by the time we take the finals."

"Well, it's like I said, I don't want to take any chances. We've got to ace these finals and prove we're worthy of being on the program. And of course, show up that jerk Sullivan. If he really thinks he doesn't need to study, he's in for a big shock. Don't worry, we'll show them all."

"I wish I was as confident as you Mike, but I've gotta admit, since that argument with Johnny I've been starting to doubt myself."

Mike turned to Randy with a comforting smile. "Hey, don't let 'em get to you. You'll do great, we both will."

Randy slowly smiled back. "Yeah… thanks Mike."

"And hey, if you ever need someone to study with, I'm always available to give you a hand."

Randy chuckled. "Oh, I know. You've barely done anything else."

"Hey, that's not true… exactly." This just caused Randy to laugh more. "Besides, it's only our first week of classes, I'm not always gonna be like this. Once the finals are done, I'll learn to kick back a little more."

"Whatever ya say."

* * *

Johnny was looking through the books lining one side of the bookshelf that contained the Scaring books most appropriate for first years. A couple had caught his interest, but before pulling them off the shelf, he wanted to make sure they were needed.

"Hey Sulley?" Johnny called out, or rather whispered due to the ever-present watch of the librarian.

"Yeah Johnny?" came the loud-but-not-too-loud reply from the other side of the bookshelf.

"How many textbooks do you have?"

"Uh… I got a few, I think."

Johnny furrowed his brow slightly, having hoped for a better answer. "Which ones?" he asked, trying to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Uh, lessee… Scare Theory, the Scaring Companion, and uh… that one written by Claws What's-his-face."

"You mean Claws MacGuffin?"

"That's the guy."

"Is that all? You didn't bother to buy any others?"

"What others?"

Johnny shook his head. 'He cannot be serious…' he thought, grabbing the two books he'd spotted, and then a whole pile more. He went to the other side of the shelf, pulled a couple more books off and dumped the whole lot into Sulley's arms. "There, that should do for now."

Sulley's jaw dropped, and he looked down at the unwelcome pile of books he'd just been handed. "_All_ of these? I don't need all of these."

Johnny crossed his arms, looking both annoyed and slightly amused. "Look, Sul, I appreciate the confidence, but I just want to make sure you're up to scratch. I don't want Randy and the little green guy getting an edge on you just because they studied harder."

"Pfft, please, they can study all they want. They're never gonna be better than me."

"Even still," Johnny's voice came, a little louder with more annoyance. "This isn't just about beating those two; we have an image to maintain. As a ROR, you need to make sure you stay ahead of the game. We pride ourselves on being the ones most likely to become top Scarers, after all."

"OK, OK, I'll make sure I hit the books a lil' more often. But I'm telling ya, there's nothing to worry about. I'll ace those finals."

"Good," Johnny replied, letting out a small sigh of relief. "Y'know Big Blue, you're pretty hard-headed, but you keep your studies up and I'm sure you'll make us proud."

"You betcha!" Sulley said a little too loudly, causing the librarian to shush him. Johnny looked over to her with a look of horror on his face, which Sulley had to resist the urge to laugh at.

"Quiet…" the large snail-like monster whispered, and went back to reading her book.

"OK, if I can make another suggestion…" Johnny started, sighing again. "Never upset the librarian."

"Why, what's so scary about her?"

Johnny wrapped his arm around Sulley's shoulders and led him to the large desk where the others were already studying. "Trust me; you do **not** want to find out."

* * *

Once back at the dorm, Randy and Mike spent the day studying. Thankfully, the usual silence didn't linger, with the two talking about their studies, quizzing each other and Randy asking for a couple of things to be explained when he didn't fully understand them. All in all, it was a good night for both of them, despite being uneventful. They both grew tired around the same time, and decided to call it a night.

Randy looked to his clock and saw it read 22:37. 'A slightly more reasonable time to be settling down,' Randy thought, smiling at the memory of the night before. They both bade each other a good night, and settled in their beds. Randy only hoped that he could find something more to do the next day besides studying.

* * *

It was dark when the group of monsters could be seen leaving the library, and after having spent most of the day studying, Johnny led the other RORs back to the frat house, a smile wide on his face.

"Progress was that good on the project, huh?" Chet asked him.

"You bet," he said, his smile only growing wider. "I gotta admit, I was a little nervous when they first set out the project, but now that I've made a start, it's all lining up perfectly."

"So what is this project?" Sulley asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Oh, an assignment for the Scaring Trends class. We were given the choice of a few different time periods, and were told to essentially describe the trends on Scream energy production, and explain what could have caused any significant changes."

"Huh," Sulley grunted. "And why exactly is that important to Scarers?"

Johnny chuckled. "Y'know, I sort of thought the same thing myself when we started the Scaring Statistics class last year. But you'll find as you learn more on the program, the importance of a lot more of these courses becomes clearer. Take Scaring Statistics and Scaring Trends for example; by learning what may have caused a boom in the Scaring industry, we can try to think of new ideas that would help increase Scream production, whether it be new scaring techniques or better technology to capture Scream."

"No kidding," Sulley replied, only somewhat interested.

"But also," Javier cut in, turning everyone's attention to him, "by learning what hindered Scream production in the past, we know what not to do. We won't repeat past mistakes, and it helps Scaring become more efficient, without causing the whole industry to take a huge step back."

"Exactly right," Johnny said. "So you see, Big Blue, there _is_ importance in studying."

"Alright, alright," Sulley said with a slight chuckle. "I get the picture."

"I hope so," Johnny said, holding up a book. "Because this is the stuff that helps you break records."

"Yessir," Sulley said, giving a mock-salute which, rather comically, caused him to fumble the large pile of books he was carrying, dropping one of the larger books on his foot. He let out a yelp and started to hop on the other foot for a while before bending down to pick the book up again. "Looks like it's the stuff that helps you break toes, too," he said with a chuckle.

The other RORs laughed at this, and carried on talking about their studies as they made their way down Frat Row. Once in the house, everyone gathered in the living space, Chip handing everyone a beer.

"Alright guys," Johnny said with a smile. "I hope we all got some good progress on our projects and studying today, because tomorrow we party!"

The others cheered and began to drink. Johnny looked over to Sulley, who had taken a seat on the couch next to him, and his face became sterner.

"I really hope you do start studying hard," he said quietly enough to ensure the others wouldn't hear. "I'm not kidding when I say it's important. We may all _look_ scary, but we need to know how to _be_ scary too."

Sulley just smirked at this. "I already know how to _be_ scary. But don't worry, if it really means that much to ya, I'll study harder from now on."

"Sul, this shouldn't be about how much it means to me, it should be about how much it means to you. You _do_ want to be a top Scarer, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Sulley snapped, still remaining quiet enough to not be heard by the others. "I just think I'm already ahead enough to not have to study too hard, if at all."

"I'm warning you; don't underestimate the importance of studying. If you fall behind enough, you'll have no hope of catching up."

"Yeah, yeah…" Sulley said, letting out a yawn. "Look, I'm tired, I'm gonna hit the sack."

Without another word to Johnny, Sulley stood from the couch, drained his bottle and set it on the table, making his way to the stairs. "Night fellas!" he called out before disappearing to his room.

Johnny just watched Sulley with an incredulous look on his face, not quite able to comprehend the fact that he'd just been so easily dismissed by a freshman no less, before turning his gaze to the window, scowling slightly. He then felt the pressure on the couch shift, but didn't turn to see who had sat next to him.

"You're worried about the newbie, aren't you?" the monster said, a vague Spanish accent signalling to Johnny that it was Javier speaking.

Johnny sighed. "He's just so stubborn. He doesn't seem to understand that natural talent won't take him all the way."

"He's not willing to put in the work, then?"

"Well, I don't know… Perhaps it's too early to tell, he's only been with us a day."

Javier patted Johnny on the shoulder. "Don't worry; he may yet do us proud. After all, his father was a top Scarer too. He's probably just enjoying his freedom a little too much, can't say we all didn't do that, right?"

"I guess so."

The two sat in silence for a moment, the only noise coming from Chet, Reggie and Chip all chatting on the other side of the room. Johnny was thinking on his choice of inviting Sulley to join the fraternity, and thought perhaps he'd been too rash just because of one single prank and a family name.

"Think I made the right choice?" he asked the bug-like monster beside him.

Javier thought for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "I think you made a good choice based on what we knew at the time."

"And now?"

"Now… I'm not quite so sure."

Johnny sighed again, the hope of being reassured by his most level-headed friend disappearing. Javier patted his shoulder again and offered a warm smile that few would ever see.

"Like I said, give it time," Javier said. "We won't know for sure before we start seeing some results, good or bad."

"Alright, thanks," Johnny replied, smiling again.

"Just remember how Chet was before you cracked the whip on him."

"Hey, did someone say my name?!" Chet called over excitedly.

"No Chet, calm down!" Johnny called back before turning back to Javier, whispering. "I'm still not sure how much of a success _that_ was, actually."

The two monsters laughed, and decided to leave the subject, joining the others in some good-natured talk about tomorrow's party. Before long, once all the beers were finished, they each headed off to bed with a good sense of accomplishment from their day's studies.

As Johnny climbed into his bed, his thoughts started drifting to Randy. He wondered if things could have been different if he'd realised the young reptilian monster was a Scaring major earlier. He soon dismissed the thoughts, still sceptical of Randy's scaring abilities. But deep down he did care for the young reptilian monster, although why he cared was a matter he was still undecided on. He only hoped the freshman wouldn't make a fool of himself.


	5. Chapter 4: Illumination

**A/N: And as promised, a second, slightly longer chapter this week. Hopefully this is keeping your interest, and now most of the early parts are done I'll soon be flash-forwarding to the finals, where the Randy/Johnny interaction will become more lengthy and intimate. As always, reviews are appreciated. My thanks are to all the lovely people who have reviewed, favourited and/or followed this story. You all help inspire me to keep going. Thank you all so much. :)**

**Without further ado, hope you enjoy the story.**

* * *

Sunday morning started early for Randy, who had awoken at about 5am, the norm for the young monster. He looked over to the other bed, spotting his roommate still asleep. He yawned and pushed himself from the bed, making his way to the window. He sighed contentedly, the view of the campus holding a different kind of magic in the dark. He opened the window and leaned out slightly, resting his head on his hands and his elbows on the window ledge, and cast his gaze from side to side, seeing the Scream Energy School, the library, the School of Scaring and a couple of halls to the right. Sometimes he wondered how someone had thought to build the dorms where they had, knowing that being able to view so many spectacular buildings would bring joy to so many students, Randy included.

Deciding to begin the day with a walk, he closed the window and silently crept out of his room, taking care to close the door as quietly as possible. Looking down both sides of the hall, the silence struck him as almost unnatural considering how many students lived here. It was peaceful to him nonetheless though. He made his way to the stairs, quickly coming to the ground floor, and stepped out into the cool air of the early morning. He breathed in, noting the sharpness of the chill in the air, and shuddered slightly. He knew the temperature was not ideal for a reptilian such as himself, but with the knowledge that the sun would soon be rising, he dismissed the concern as he always did, and started to make his way across the campus.

Even a week on from first registering, Randy still found the campus breath-taking in its beauty. 'I could walk around this campus a million times and never get tired of the view,' he thought happily to himself. He did wish he could convince his roommate to join him on a walk one morning, but the only time he'd tried asking Mike he received a lecture about proper sleeping patterns being vital for his mind staying alert. Still, he enjoyed the solitude on these walks, not worrying about bumping into another monster that could mock him, bully him, or even make him feel uncomfortable. He just walked aimlessly, or rather with only one single purpose, to enjoy the relief from being surrounded by unfamiliar monsters.

He looked in all directions as he walked, taking in the sights as though they were new to him, the novelty and the awe they inspired still having not worn off. Unfortunately, he hadn't noticed the monster swiftly jogging in his direction, and as they collided, it was evident the other monster hadn't noticed either.

The two monsters fell backwards with a yelp, neither one having expected to come across another monster so early. Randy quickly got back to his feet, dusting himself off. "Uh, I-I'm sorry…" he muttered lowly, embarrassed by the whole ordeal and not quite sure what to expect in form of a reaction. He slowly gazed upwards to see who the other monster was, and his jaw dropped at the sight of the other monster dusting himself off.

"Don't mention it Randy," the other monster replied. It was Johnny, and he similarly held a look of surprise. It appeared neither monster was prepared for another meeting since their argument the day before.

After a small moment, Randy broke the awkward silence between the two. "Well, um… See you around?" He smiled nervously before walking quickly past Johnny, wanting to get away before another confrontation began.

"Wait," Johnny said, causing Randy to freeze on the spot before slowly turning around.

Randy looked to the ground instead of up to the older monster, expecting some sort of punishment for the collision. He wanted to run away, or blend into his surroundings, but neither of these thoughts converted to an action. Instead, he kept his gaze low, expecting the worst. "L-Look, if you're going to hit me, can we just get it over with?"

Johnny was taken aback by the younger monster's words. "Hit you?" he said slowly, shaking his head. "Why would I want to do that?"

Randy looked up, both confusion and a little fear in his eyes. "W-Well, because I just made you fall over. A-And because of the argument yesterday…" He quickly looked down again.

Johnny chuckled at this, but instantly felt guilty for doing so. The young monster was expecting to be beaten for such a small matter, and Johnny knew that wasn't something he should find funny, especially if it was something Randy was accustomed to. "I'm not that kind of monster, Randy," he said, trying his best to sound reassuring. "I may shout, I may roar, but I'm not the kind to hit someone for something so… trivial, for lack of a better term."

Randy looked up again, feeling slightly easier, but the fear remaining all the same. "So, w-what is it you want?"

Johnny thought for a moment, not quite sure why he had stopped the younger monster from leaving. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and smiled nervously. "Well, first of all, I suppose I want to say… I'm sorry."

Now it was Randy's to be taken aback. "You're… sorry? For what?"

"Oh, well, for knocking you over just now. It was just as much my fault. And also…" He paused a moment, swallowing a lump in his throat he hadn't realised was there. Pushing his pride aside, he continued. "Also, for what I said yesterday. I didn't mean to shut you down so quickly, I should've been a bit smarter in what I said."

"Oh, um… OK," Randy said, taking a moment to consider the apology. His eyes then narrowed after a realisation came over him. "Wait a minute, smarter in what you said? You still don't think I can do it, do you?"

"Well, um…" Johnny stuttered, silently cursing himself for again not picking his words carefully enough. "It's just… You don't exactly look like the scariest monster around. I know you probably study hard, but it just isn't enough. I just don't see how you and the little green guy can-"

"Mike," Randy interrupted.

"Sorry?"

"The 'little green guy' is named Mike. I told you as much yesterday. Do you really think that little of him?"

"Well, it's just…" Johnny stammered, not being able to come up with a tactical response.

"It's because he doesn't look scary either, right?" Randy said, taking a stance of indignation. "Because he isn't what _you_ class as scary, he's not worthy of your time. Is that it?"

"Well, I guess so…" Hearing it vocalised, Johnny felt slightly ashamed at the notion. "Look, no matter what I think, the fraternity has a reputation to protect. As its president, I can't risk socialising with someone who has enrolled in the Scaring program with no hope of completing the first year. I can't even be seen approving of them."

"Again," Randy started, doing his best to bite back his anger, but still allowing himself to sound annoyed. "Again you say he has no hope. Why is that? He may not look scary at first meeting, but trust me when I say he has more than enough knowledge to be scary. He's so ahead in his studies, I can't see anyone else on the program keeping up with him, and it's only the first week! He's only going to get better. And you know what?" Randy paused a moment, allowing Johnny the time to give him a questioning look. "I can't wait to see the look on your face when he proves you wrong."

Johnny sighed. As much as he hated being challenged, and how foolish he felt Randy was being for believing so whole-heartedly in Mike, he had to admire his persistence and his loyalty. He wasn't about to admit Randy was right, but for once, he felt the need to drop the argument. "OK, we'll wait and see what happens in the finals. I don't believe he'll make it, but if I'm to be perfectly honest…" He considered whether or not to proceed with what he was about to say, blushing slightly. "…I kinda hope you do."

Randy looked more shocked than before, if that was possible. He blushed slightly too, stumbling over his words as he spoke. "Uh… w-well, thanks I guess."

The two stood in silence once more, the air between them still awkward, but somehow lighter. Randy looked to the distance, seeing that the sun was rising. He was surprised by how long the two must have been there, and decided it would be best to head back to see what Mike wanted to do for the day.

"Look, I should probably get going…" Randy said, and started walking past Johnny back towards the dorms.

"There's a party tonight," the senior blurted out, causing Randy to turn back towards him. "At the ROR house. Think what you want about me, but you're welcome to come. I'm sure Big Red would appreciate it," he added with a slight smirk.

Randy thought for a moment, considering his answer. "I'll consider it," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He then carried on back towards the dorms without another word or look back.

Johnny watched him go, a slight smile playing on his lips. The mood had at least been left lighter between the two this time, but he could only hope the air had been cleared between the two. He watched the rhythmic beating of Randy's four feet as he walked, his tail swishing slightly side to side, and he almost became entranced as though watching an exotic dance.

As soon as Randy was out of sight, Johnny snapped back to reality and blushed much more heavily, knowing that he'd have been labelled a certified gawker were anyone to have caught him. He turned around and, with once last glance over his shoulder, made his way back to the ROR house.

* * *

"G'morning Mike. What are you up to today?" Randy asked his roommate as soon as he awoke, looking over from his desk where he was studying.

"Oh hey, morning Randy," the green monster replied, rubbing his eye before climbing out of bed. "I was just thinking of studying a bit more on Vocal Study today, maybe some History too."

"Don't suppose I could convince you to come to a party tonight?"

"Probably not," he said a little too quickly. After some thought, he decided to ask. "Who's hosting it?"

"Oh, uh… the RORs…"

Mike stared at Randy in disbelief. "The RORs? You're not considering going, are you?"

Randy chewed a little on the bottom end of the pen he was holding. "Maybe."

"But, it's the RORs. We wouldn't even be welcome!"

"Actually… I might've gotten invited."

"Invited?" Mike looked more shocked now. "By who?"

"Oh, uh, no-one you know," Randy stuttered, doing his best to put on an innocent smile.

Mike wasn't buying it, and his eye narrowed in suspicion. "By who?" he repeated.

Randy sighed; he was never good at lying. "Johnny."

"Johnny?" he said, the name taking its time to roll through his mind. He knew who Randy was talking about, but the thought of Randy even having a conversation with Johnny didn't seem to register, let alone an invite to a party. "How did that happen?"

"Well, I was out on my usual walk this morning, and we bumped into each other. Literally," he chuckled. "We got talking, had a… small argument, at least smaller than yesterday, and he ended up dropping it. And… he invited me. Just like that."

"Just like that, huh?" Mike responded, still with an air of suspicion. "You don't think there's anything strange about that? He just dropped the argument, and suddenly invited you to a party? _His_ party?"

"Well, I guess when you put it like that…"

"He's got something planned, Randy. You remember what I said about him wanting to humiliate us? Who's to say he won't do it at that party? Besides, you said that he invited you. Am I invited?"

"Well, he didn't say you were," Randy admitted. "But honestly Mike, I think he's starting to accept the idea of us being Scare students."

"Why would you say that?"

"I dunno, Mike. He said he still doubted us, but… Well, there was just something about the way he spoke, something I can't quite put my finger on…" he trailed off, a slight wistful look in his eyes.

Mike caught onto this, and couldn't tell whether he should be amused or annoyed. He decided on the former. "You like him, don't you?" he said playfully.

Randy's eyes snapped open, and he instantly went on the defensive. "What? Of course not! What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, I wonder…" he teased, putting his hands on what could best be described as his hips.

"Shuddup," Randy said, completely unable to keep up the façade and blushing slightly.

Mike chuckled, but then became serious. "Look, it's none of my business if you like him or he likes you, but I'm still telling you to be careful. Whether he likes you or not, he's still president of the top fraternity on campus. He's not going to risk his reputation, and I doubt he'd pull any punches in trying to show you up."

Randy sighed, knowing his friend was probably right. "I know Mike, but I'm willing to give it a chance. At least just this once. If anything, I just want that chance to get in with the cool kids, besides being a Scarer that was always my top priority."

"I know Randy, and I don't doubt you can do it once you show your stuff. It's just…" Mike paused for a moment, knowing what he wanted to say, but thinking of the best way to say it. "I'm not saying don't try, I'm just telling you to be careful around them. Until you've had the chance to prove yourself you don't know how seriously they'll take you. I don't want you reaching out for fire and end up getting burned."

Randy smiled, genuinely touched by both Mike's concern, and his acceptance for what Randy wanted. "Thanks Mike. You've got a real way with words, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm the best," he chuckled. "But don't expect me to tag along. I know it's what you want, but it's not what I want."

"OK," Randy said, slightly disappointed but also understanding. "But once you ace those finals, I'm not letting you say no again."

"It's a deal, buddy," Mike said with a smile, giving Randy a light pat on the back. He then looked over to the book Randy was reading from. "What are you studying there?"

"Oh, funnily enough, I'm studying Vocal Study. Care to join?"

"Don't mind if I do."

Mike brought his chair over to Randy's desk and they both studied together, reading aloud and throwing each other the odd comment. Randy couldn't help but smile, even though Mike didn't share many of his interests, he was still willing to join him when he could. Randy had begun to wonder if studying was the beginning and end to all of Mike's interests, but he now thought perhaps he and Mike were destined to be friends after all.

* * *

"Hey Javier," Johnny said, noticing his bug-like friend sitting on the couch when he returned to the frat house.

"Hey," Javier responded, looking over to his president.

"You're up early."

"Wanted to get a little more studying done for this project before we started preparing for the party."

"Oh, let me join you then. Just gonna grab a drink first, want anything?"

"Coffee please, if it's on offer."

"Exactly what I was going for," Johnny said with a smile, heading over to the kitchen.

After a couple of moments, Johnny returned with two steaming mugs, placing them both on a couple of coasters on the coffee table. He looked over to his friend, who had his brows furrowed in concentration.

"Oh, I know that look," Johnny said playfully. "What's got you stumped?"

"It's the dip here," Javier replied, pointing to a specific figure set in a statistics table in his textbook. "I can't seem to find anything that explains why production became so low in that time."

"Hmm…" Johnny put his claw on the figure Javier had pointed out, and traced it along to column marking which year it corresponded to. "1312… I don't know much I'm afraid, it's not the time period I chose. But from what I know, it's the year before MU's founding, and MU was founded in response to a severe Scream shortage, to try and boost both the number and quality of Scarers working in the industry. I guess if you looked more into MU's founding, you could find out the circumstances of the shortage." He looked back up to Javier and flashed a smile. "Sorry I can't be more help than that."

"No, not at all," Javier said, returning the smile. "It's a great help. I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. Thanks Johnny."

"No problem."

Johnny took hold of his mug and sipped at his coffee while Javier scribbled something down in his notebook before closing it, and his textbook, and setting the whole lot aside, grabbing his own mug to take a sip.

"Just a heads up, I invited Boggs to the party tonight," Johnny said, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Oh really? He's the reptilian monster who hangs out with Mike, right? The one you had that argument with yesterday?"

Johnny chuckled nervously. "Yeah, that's the guy."

"I see…" Javier took another sip before looking at Johnny curiously. "If I may, what prompted the invite?"

"I don't really know. I guess I felt a little guilty about what I said to him yesterday. I told him I didn't believe he or his friend would make it as Scarers, which I don't, but…"

"You could have worded it better," Javier finished, knowing his friend all too well.

"Yeah. And I just wanted to make it up to him, I guess."

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when you dissed Mike a couple nights ago, you didn't seem to be in such a rush to make it up to him."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Why do you always have to ask the hard questions?" Johnny said with a slight smile.

Javier just looked at him quizzically, cocking an eyebrow, showing that he still wanted an answer.

Johnny let out a sigh. "I guess… Randy's different. With… Mike," he said, pausing slightly to ensure he remembered to use Mike's name, if nothing else then for Randy's sake. "Well, he's incredibly conceited, and self-assured. And Randy isn't. There's a fine line between confidence and cockiness, and I just feel Randy is on the right side of that line, whereas Mike isn't. And Mike hasn't yet done anything to deserve that cockiness. Randy is confident in his abilities, but doesn't parade around like he's the best thing to grace the campus' presence. He keeps more to himself, he seems to work hard, and he defends his friend to a fault…"

Javier interrupted Johnny by clearing his throat, causing the horned monster to look at him puzzled. "I asked how the circumstances were different, not for a list of Randy's good qualities. If it's because you're attracted to him, you could have just said so."

Johnny was taken aback by Javier's no-nonsense attitude. "Wait… I never said I was attracted to him."

"You didn't need to," Javier said, and began to smile again. "It's fairly obvious to someone more used to playing the role of a silent observer."

"Yeah, well, not a word to the others," Johnny said. "I may like him, but that doesn't mean I necessarily believe in his abilities. Until he proves himself, this stays on the down-low."

"I'm not one to gossip, Johnny," he replied with a smirk.

"I know," Johnny smirked back. "Just felt the need to say it."

The two took a moment to finish their coffees before they went cold. Javier then thought of something else to ask his friend.

"If you're trying to keep your feelings hidden for the moment, what does that mean for Randy? You've invited him here tonight, what do you expect him to do?"

"Oh, well, I was hoping you could help me with that…"

Javier rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "What have you got planned for me this time?" he asked, more than used to being asked favours by his friend for potential dates.

"Well, I might have mentioned a ping pong match between the two of you," he said sheepishly.

"Oh really?" he said, visibly surprised. "Well, as far as wingman duties go, this should actually be enjoyable for once," he chuckled.

"Great," Johnny said. "I probably expect him to hang around with Big Red a lot of the time too, so hopefully he should be kept occupied for the night. I meant what I said before; I am doing this to make it up to him. You can easily see he's the type of guy who wants nothing more than to fit in, I just want to give him that."

"That's… actually really sweet of you," he chuckled. "Don't tell me you've gone soft."

"Hell no," Johnny snapped, but maintaining a playful smile. "Just… a little more generous, maybe."

"Mm-hmm."

The two laughed before getting up from the couch. Javier grabbed his books to take back up to his room, and Johnny headed up to his room to grab a checklist he'd made the night before. They planned to get the others up and start preparing for tonight's party. And if they had the time, take a trip to one of their favourite stores in downtown Monstropolis which sold their favourite burgers.

* * *

It was dark as Randy made his way down Frat Row, and it was illuminated the same way it had been two nights previous. But if anything, the street seemed even busier than before; most likely due to the fraternity holding tonight's party being the most popular.

He walked along the street, again taking in the view of each house as he had before. It was strange to Randy, he'd have thought after having already been to a party he'd be less nervous about this one, but he was in fact more nervous. He decided to try and play it safe today, having come empty-handed instead of carrying a tray of cupcakes. Despite Big Red reassuring him the cupcakes would be a great hit, he didn't want to make a bad impression in front of the RORs, especially if he hoped to be taken seriously as a Scare student.

Once he reached the entrance to the house, he looked up and gulped nervously. He started to tremble slightly, unsure of what to expect. Taking Mike's words into account, he remained on high alert in case there were any plans to prank or otherwise humiliate him. He knew he was prepared and that he'd be in good company with the JOX at the very least, but even with that knowledge his mind screamed for him to turn back. Only two things stopped him from doing just that; his determination in proving himself and not wanting to look like a coward, and his curiosity in what his next interaction with Johnny would be like. Because like it or not, Mike was right, he liked Johnny. And he had a feeling Johnny liked him back.

He took a deep breath in, just as he had with the first party, and once he was sure his nerves were settled, he made his way in.


	6. Chapter 5: Questioning

**A/N: A just-past-mid-week update! Yay! ^_^ So I couldn't help myself, I really wanted to get this chapter written out. And I wrote, and I wrote, and I wrote... And man, this chapter is long.**

**I'm a little disappointed with the ending, but after re-writing it no less than six times, I honestly couldn't think of anything else to improve it. As always, I hope you all enjoy the story, and any thoughts you may have about the ending would be GREATLY appreciated. If I could improve it, or if you felt I did it all wrong, please by all means tell me.**

**And to any ping pong/table tennis fans out there... I apologise if I butchered the terminology. I honestly tried my best.**

* * *

"Randy!"

Before the young purple monster even had time to take in his surroundings he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug from behind.

"Ack! Too tight, too tight!" he struggled to say, his voice faltering slightly.

"Whoops, sorry 'bout that buddy," the monster said, putting him down with a chuckle.

Randy turned around to see the familiar large red monster in the yellow jacket. "Hey Big Red," Randy said. "Thanks for the, uh… warm welcome."

"I'm so stoked you were invited to the party! We gotta see your skills again. You been practicing?"

"Uh, no," he said sheepishly. "I've not really had the time."

"Ah well, you'll be great anyway. But guess what? There're whispers going around saying Javier wants to play you tonight too. How awesome is that?!"

Randy's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't imagined one of the other RORs actually wanting to interact with him. He immediately grew suspicious, but thought better than to say as much to his friend. "Yeah, that's, uh… pretty awesome." He managed a small smile.

"Well, get yourself settled in lil' guy. Drinks are all out on the table just through there." He gestured to the main living area which was just at the other side of the hall.

"Thanks," Randy said, smiling wide. "Let me know when the games start."

"Will do," he said before turning to his fraternity members, joining in whatever conversation they were holding.

Randy took a few steps forward and paused for a moment, taking in the view of the interior. Only one word entered the young reptilian's mind: grand. From the marble-like floors to the intricate wooden carvings on the walls and banisters, solid oak he'd wager, and the deep crimson carpets lining the stairs. Even the sheer size of the hall, leading into an even bigger living space. Everything about the house screamed 'royalty' to him.

After lingering on the spot for what he thought may have been a little too long, he braved the crowd and made his way to the centre of the party. The music was booming, and cheers and general chatter could be heard above it, with many more monsters than the previous party lining the sides of the rooms and just as many on the dance floor. The room was barely recognisable as a living space, and Randy silently wondered how it would look with what he presumed would be all its usual furnishings in place.

He headed to the table that was pointed out to him by Big Red, and looked around, seeing if he could recognise any monsters. He noted the two HSS girls he'd tried talking to before, and the JOX brothers seemed to have followed him in and occupied a corner of the room towards the back. But notably, there was no sign of the RORs. Randy furrowed his brow slightly at this, wondering what they could be doing if they weren't present at the centre of their own party. Dismissing his suspicions, he grabbed a cup from the table and decided to settle on the punch; he didn't plan on getting drunk just as soon as he'd arrived.

"Careful," came an all-too-familiar voice from Randy's side, almost causing him to drop the cup in surprise. "I think someone already got to the punch and spiked it."

Randy turned to look up at Big Red. "No safe option for me then?" he chuckled.

"'Fraid not," the larger monster said. "Just take it slow if you're worried, though. Don't want ya too drunk to play," he added with a laugh before grabbing a beer.

Randy finished filling his cup and took a sip, almost instantly gagging as he struggled to swallow the offending drink. "Oh man, that's strong."

"Oh yeah, the guy who spiked it had two bottles with him."

"Tastes like more," Randy chuckled, taking another sip, prepared for the taste this time.

"Oh hey," Big Red said, turning to the young monster with an expression of suddenly remembering something. "Where're the cupcakes?"

"Oh, I uh… figured I'd play it safe this time," Randy admitted. "I wanted to make a good impression on the RORs, so I thought maybe the cupcakes would be a little too uncool to bring. At least the first time."

"Ahh, I see," he said, nodding his understanding. "Still, I'm sure if they tasted one, they wouldn't think they were uncool for too long."

"Heh, yeah, maybe."

"Just make sure to bring some to the JOX party next week. Seriously man, those things are so tasty they should illegal."

Randy laughed at this, blushing slightly at the compliment. "Alright, I'll be sure to do that."

"Hey, come on over with me a minute. Lemme introduce you to the guys. I never really got the chance last time."

"OK," he agreed happily. He'd only just now realised he wasn't sure what else to do with himself, so he eagerly followed Big Red over to his brothers.

"Hey guys," Big Red called to the others. "This here's Randy; he's the one I was telling ya about yesterday."

The others all offered a "hello" or "hey there" to the younger monster. Randy held up a hand and offered his own "hello".

"Randy, this is George, Baboso, Dirk, Percy, and you met Omar the other night." He gestured to each monster as he spoke, who all nodded their head in response, with the exception of Omar who, being unable to nod whilst hovering in the air, instead grinned wider for a moment.

"So Randy," Baboso said, approaching the reptilian monster. "Big Red and Omar here were telling us that you could be the next Zane Xiao."

Randy chuckled at this, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Well, I wouldn't say that… I guess I'm OK with a paddle or four."

"OK?" Big Red returned. "No way, you guys should've seen him! He was amazing! The other night was the first time he'd ever picked up more than two paddles, and by the end of the night he was keeping pace with Zane."

"I don't think he was playing his hardest," Randy chuckled.

"Well, maybe not, but he wasn't too far off. I'm tellin' ya Randy, you're too good for words."

"Thanks," he said, blushing again. As much as he loved all the praise, he was starting to wish Big Red would play the whole thing down a little.

"So, we gonna get to see some action tonight?" Baboso asked.

"Hope so," Big Red replied, looking up at a clock on the wall. "Javier said to meet him in the games room when he's ready. Should be in about 10 minutes."

"Awesome!" he said cheerily.

"So, uh, where were you guys the other night?" Randy asked the four he was now meeting for the first time. "I was just wondering, since, well, you know… It was your party."

"Oh, uh, football injury," Dirk explained. "I got wiped out in practice, thought I broke an arm. The other guys came to the hospital with me. Although I did say I didn't need all of you there with me," he added, turning to the others who all smiled sheepishly.

"We were, uh… worried?" George piped up.

"Yeah right, you were all trying to scope out that hot new nurse," Dirk chuckled.

Randy laughed at this, not at all surprised if that were true.

"Oh, as if you weren't!" Baboso countered, continuing in his best impression of Dirk. "Oh nurse, it hurts so much. Are you sure it's not broken? Could you check again, just for meeeeeeee..?"

"Alright, alright," Big Red cut in. "Cut the guy a break. I mean, she _is_ hot."

All of the other members murmured in agreement, to which Randy laughed more.

A pat on the shoulder turned Big Red's attention behind him, and he gasped as he grabbed the monster into the same bone-crushing hug he'd given Randy. "Chip!" he exclaimed. "How the hell are ya buddy?"

"Pretty good," he grunted. "Would be better if I could breathe properly though…" he added with as much of a laugh as his limited air supply would allow.

Big Red put him down and brought him into everyone else's view. "Hey guys, look who I found!"

"Chip!" the other JOX members called out in unison, while Randy just looked on in confusion. His eyes widened when he noticed the golden lettering on Chip's red jacket; he was a member of Roar Omega Roar.

"Hey guys," Chip said, offering everyone a small wave. He looked to Randy and mirrored the confusion Randy displayed previously. "Who's this?" he asked.

"This here's Randy," Big Red said, with almost a hint of pride. "He's the one who's gonna be facing off against Javier."

"Oh, this is the guy," he said in recognition. The name also caused him to remember having seen him arguing with Johnny in the cafeteria the day before. He wasn't quite sure how to act, whether he should be polite, or ignore the monster who was posing a threat to his frat's pride. Since he seemed pretty popular with the JOX, he decided on the former, extending a hand to the young monster. "Nice to meet you Randy, name's Chip Goff."

"Randy Boggs," he replied, shaking his hand. He noted how strong Chip's handshake was, similarly to Big Red's, and began to wonder if it was just his own that was weak.

"Well, he's the reason I came over," Chip said, turning back to the large red monster. "Table's all set and we've drawn in a crowd. We're ready to go when you are."

"Awesome!" Big Red shouted excitedly, grabbing Randy by the arm, almost causing him to spill his drink again, and dragging him along as he followed Chip to the games room. "Come on guys!" he called over his shoulder.

The eight monsters all made their way into the slightly smaller room, but Randy noted it was still larger than any room he'd visited at the JOX house. He was led to one side of the table, and he looked around, seeing the huge crowd of monsters crammed into the room, a buzz of excitement about all of them. He saw on the other side of the table, ready and waiting, was a tall bug-like monster dressed in a ROR jacket, paddles in hand. Behind him were the other frat members; Chip, who had just taken his place alongside them, Sulley, who he noted was now proudly wearing his own letterman jacket, Johnny and two others that Randy hadn't yet learned the names of.

When his gaze fell upon Johnny, the horned monster offered him a small smile, which he returned. The smile soon dropped from his face when he heard Sulley talking.

"Remind me, why are we here to watch this geek?" he asked Johnny, to which he received a death glare from the older monster.

"Because he's only one of three monsters on the campus able to play this game with four paddles," Johnny snapped. "Show a bit of respect."

"OK, geez," Sulley replied, holding his hands up defensively. "Only askin'."

Randy wasn't sure whether to frown at Sulley's remark, or smile at Johnny's defence, so instead kept a neutral expression as he looked back up to Javier.

"Ready to start?" the tall blue monster asked, to which Randy nodded. "Your serve."

Randy picked up the four balls that had been laid in the centre of the table on his side of the net. He held them in two hands, using the other two to pick up the paddles. He took notice of the intense focus everyone around him held and gulped slightly, his nerves rising considerably. He exhaled audibly, calming himself slightly before serving.

* * *

Everyone in the room was cheering, and more monsters had tried to pack themselves into the games room, talk of the current match circulating around the whole party. Javier had stolen an early lead of six points, not taking it easy like Zane had, but Randy had started to get into full swing and was giving as good as he got. The current rally had lasted over 200 returns with no signs of stopping, and Randy threatened to score his first point. However, not being used to such physical exertion, Randy was beginning to falter slightly. His arms felt like they were on fire, while Javier merely showed the same focused expression as always.

Randy silently wondered if he even stood a chance, and was starting to fear being humiliated if he failed to score even a single point. He continued on though, still returning each shot perfectly, determined not to let pass what could possibly be his only chance.

"300!" someone called out excitedly, causing another eruption of cheers from the crowd. The monsters began cheering Randy's name, excited that a newcomer to the game was doing so well against the second best, yet arguably most merciless, ping pong player on campus.

Randy smiled a little at hearing his name being chanted by almost every other monster in the room. He chanced a small glance behind his opponent, and although he found most of the RORs weren't among the number, which he'd expected, he was shocked to find one of them was; Johnny.

Randy wasn't quite sure what came over him, but he felt a sudden need to impress, more so than when the match started. He watched the motion of the balls more carefully, trying to spot the pattern in their movements, as well as the way in which Javier was returning them. By Randy's observations, two of the balls were consistently being returned higher than the other two. He had a few different possible strategies to break the rally and possibly catch Javier off guard, and after careful consideration, settled on one.

'This is it,' he thought to himself. 'Now or never.'

A look of fierce determination crossed Randy's face, and he set his four legs slightly wider apart, preparing for what he planned next. He returned the balls and poured all the concentration he could into the direction, speed and spin of each one as they were returned back to him. In one swift movement, he smashed the two higher balls and backed up, waiting just a fraction of a second longer to flick the second two. He hoped that both separating the timing of the balls, and using two different types of stroke in the same return, would be enough to end the rally and score him a point.

Sure enough, the tactic worked its magic as Javier returned the first two balls out of bounds and completely missed the second two. The crowd stopped chanting, looking in amazement as all four balls fell to the floor. There was a whole five seconds' worth of silence before the crowd once again erupted in cheers. Randy chuckled slightly to himself, not quite able to believe it had worked. He let the cheers wash over him as he struggled to regain his breath, not quite realising how much energy he'd exerted until now.

Javier scowled slightly, taking a knock to his pride, but also couldn't help but appreciate the ingenuity in the younger monster's tactic.

Once the cheering died down, Javier prepared to serve again. Randy then realised this was going to be a long battle yet, and he was exhausted. He didn't care though; he knew at this point he wouldn't win. But at least for that one moment, he'd been able to impress a house full of monsters.

* * *

The game lasted a while longer, the observing monsters still cheering and buzzing with excitement. Randy's exhaustion was evident to all watching, but it didn't stop most of them hoping for another impressive display from the young reptilian. As it so happened, the young monster did manage to score one more point through a complete fluke; he'd stumbled over his feet slightly and returned the balls at an awkward angle, sending them past his opponent with no chance of a return.

By the end of the match, the score was 11-2 to Javier. There was no denying it for the younger monster, he was far outclassed. But still a lot of the monsters who had watched the match congratulated him for keeping it going so long.

"Way to go Randy!" Big Red congratulated, giving the younger monster a quick pat on the back. "I told ya you'd get the hang of it."

"Well… I dunno…" Randy panted. "I managed… to play… all night at… your party… and I wasn't… quite this… tired."

Big Red chuckled. "Yeah, but you weren't playing at that kind of speed with Zane. Javier went all out against you, and you managed to keep going for a whole hour, _and_ score two points. That's not bad going considering you only upgraded from two paddles to four just two nights ago."

Randy smiled at this, just beginning to catch his breath again. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Catch ya out there," he said, gesturing to the dance floor before following his frat brothers out in that direction.

Randy turned back to the table, carefully placing the paddles back where he'd gotten them. He then turned to see Javier approaching him.

"Big Red tells me you only tried this two nights ago," he said as he reached the younger monster.

"Yeah, I'd never played that way before his party," Randy admitted.

"That's very impressive," he said with a slight smile. He then held out his two right hands, which Randy took, shaking enthusiastically. "Congratulations, you may yet be a threat to mine and Zane's reputations."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Randy replied shyly. "It'd take a long time before I can play _that_ well."

"Nonsense, it's clear you're a quick learner. I wouldn't be surprised if you presented more of a challenge by the end of the semester."

"Well, thanks," Randy beamed. He couldn't believe he'd made such a good impression on one of the RORs, forgetting for a moment what had happened between them and Mike.

"Just keep practicing. I look forward to our next match."

With that, Javier made his way back over to the other RORs. He made his way over to the entryway of the living area, but stopped to take one last look back. He noticed the RORs were all conversing enthusiastically, even Sulley, with a few of them sparing glances in his direction before turning back to the conversation.

Randy quickly made his way out and over to the drinks table, hoping no-one noticed his blush. 'Were they talking about _me_?' he thought, smiling just as much on the inside as on the outside. He took another cup, his last one having been taken off him by one of the JOX before the match and, in all likelihood, drunk by them. With the match over, Randy figured it would be safe to have a beer, not even registering the fact that the punch was most likely twice as potent.

"Yo Randy!" he heard someone shout, a familiar arm grabbing him from behind and, yet again, almost causing him to drop his drink.

"Three times!" Randy shouted, turning around with an amused smile on his lips. "Three times you've almost made me drop my drink tonight."

"Good thing you've got four arms then," Big Red said with a wide grin.

"That's not the point," he chuckled. "Anyway, what is it?"

"Just wonderin' if ya wanted to join us on the dance floor."

Randy looked over to the dance floor which was already crammed full of monsters. He gulped and shook his head. "No, no, no, _way_ too crowded for me," he said nervously. "Plus, I'm not really much of a dancer."

"Oh, come on," he chuckled, pulling the younger monster over to the others without any warning.

This time Randy did drop his drink, but was thankful that it landed under the table. 'Shoulda seen that coming,' he thought, sighing. 'At least it won't make a slip hazard.'

In one swift movement, Big Red swung Randy in front of him, setting him in the centre of the JOX members. He stood awkwardly for a moment, never having danced in his life. Not in public, anyway.

"C'mon, show us your moves!" Big Red encouraged.

"I don't have any!" Randy called back, realising the music was much louder from this position. "I told you, I don't dance!"

"Neither do we!" Dirk chuckled. "George is the only one of us that has any kind of rhythm! Just jump around if all else fails!"

With that, all of the JOX members started jumping around, loosely in time with the music, with the exception of George who seemed to have his own generic sort of dance. Randy watched for a moment before deciding he might as well try and do something. He started shuffling awkwardly on his feet, swaying from side to side, slowly getting into the beat of the music.

"Not bad!" Big Red called out.

"Really?" he chuckled. "I didn't realise this classified as a dance move!"

"It doesn't!" Big Red laughed. "But at least you've got rhythm! If there's one thing any of us have learned, it's if you can't dance, have fun looking like idiots together!"

All of the other JOX brothers laughed at this, and then started cheering and calling out loudly, just enjoying cutting loose and being wild. Despite his usual meek demeanour, Randy could appreciate the antics, and soon found himself joining in, laughing the whole while.

* * *

For however long the length of nine songs was the JOX members and Randy continued in their fun, letting the music carry them through the night, enjoying each other's company. A few other monsters had joined them, all of whom seemed equally bad at dancing but were having just as much fun. Unbeknownst to Randy, his antics had been spotted by two particular monsters that were looking out for them.

"I told you he'd be having fun with the JOX guys," Johnny chuckled, enjoying seeing this side of the younger monster as he partied.

"When you're right, you're right," Javier answered, smiling at the scene before him as well. "I take it my duties are done for tonight?"

"Sure, go ahead and enjoy the party."

Javier made to walk away, but turned back, having something else to say to the ROR president. "By the way, I'd be careful how you tread. He isn't one to be taken lightly," he said, motioning towards Randy. "He was incredibly quick to learn a sport, and that skill _is_ transferrable."

Johnny merely nodded, a slight look of concern showing. He considered for a moment the thought that he'd been wrong about Randy all along.

Javier made a beeline for the drinks table whilst Johnny lingered behind, watching Randy for a moment longer. "At the very least, I'm glad this has all worked out for him," he said to himself, smiling wider. "He deserves it." He then made his own way to the drinks table, the beer calling out his name above the music.

After a couple more songs, Big Red and the other JOX stopped dancing, stepping to the side-lines with Randy following suit. "Sorry Randy," Big Red said. "We gotta head off in a bit. We're probably gonna grab one last drink, and head back to the frat house."

"Oh, OK," Randy said, slightly disappointed.

"But hey, thanks for making this such a great night. I knew you were a good ping pong player, but I didn't realise you could be such a hoot. I swear, if we weren't full to capacity, I'd be inviting you to join JOX right now."

Randy smiled wide at hearing this. Sure, it wasn't exactly an invitation, but he was elated to hear the fraternity president express his desire to extend one to him. "Thanks Big Red."

"No problem," he said with a wink before leading the way to the drinks table. After grabbing a beer, he continued. "Still, even though you're not a member, if ever you wanna hang out just come on over. Consider yourself an honorary member of sorts."

"Wow, thanks," he said, his smile only growing. He couldn't believe it. Despite not actually being a frat member, he was accepted by the second biggest fraternity nonetheless.

The JOX brothers all chugged down their drinks quicker than Randy had expected, so before he knew it he was bidding farewell to them as they left the party. He was left alone near the entrance to the hall, and he couldn't help but feel saddened by their departure. The happiness he felt before for being accepted by JOX faded just a little with the realisation that he'd never be heading back with them to the house for the night. He wasn't a full member, but he still joyfully clung to the fact that he was welcome with them any time of the day.

He stood awkwardly, watching the party continuing around him as he took a sip from his cup, having decided to risk the punch again. Feeling too awkward to try and approach anyone new and not seeing Johnny or Javier anywhere, he had nothing to do but drink. Ignoring the bitter aftertaste to the otherwise fruity punch, he kept drinking until the whole cup was drained. He made his way to the drinks table and refilled it, drinking it up a little quicker than he knew he should have. He realised if he kept the same pace, he'd be too drunk to walk back to the dorms, but considering there was nothing non-alcoholic to drink, and with the room being quite hot, he poured another beer from the keg and made his way across the room, standing towards the back and just watching the remaining monsters under the alternating colours of the lights.

For a good twenty minutes he stood, watching as the number of monsters halved, most likely leaving due to the fact that they had morning classes. He looked up to the clock and realised it was getting late; the clock telling him it was just a few minutes past two. He drained the last of his drink and hauled himself away from the wall he'd been leaning on, suddenly feeling slightly dizzy and instantly regretting having drunk so much. He carefully made his way across the room and into the hall, taking care not to bump into any other monsters along the way. Seeing the doors that lead outdoors, he felt he was home free, almost having made it out without causing himself embarrassment. He'd unfortunately miscounted the stairs and promptly tripped up on the last one. He would have fallen to the ground if it weren't for the strong arms grabbing him from behind, gently steadying him on his feet.

"Easy there," came a voice from behind Randy. "Looks like someone hasn't quite grasped the concept of mixing drinks." A chuckle followed, and Randy turned to find the voice belonged to none other than Johnny. "Looks like you may have celebrated your debut a little too well," he said with a warm smile.

Randy blushed a little at the comment, and even more so when he realised Johnny hadn't let him go. "Y-Yeah… someone spiked the punch… had a bit too much…"

Johnny chuckled again, finding the disjointed speech from the young monster adorable. He gazed into Randy's eyes which now held a questioning look, realising it probably had to do with the way he still held onto him. The look was one he'd seen many times before, on the face of many drunken monsters, and it was one he was more than accustomed to taking advantage of, leading said monster to his room for what he would tell them would be the night of their lives.

A group of monsters could be heard approaching the pair and Johnny quickly withdrew his hands, distancing himself slightly from the younger monster. He watched the group pass through the hall, thanking them for coming to the party before they headed out onto the row. Randy looked slightly hurt at the sudden change in Johnny's attitude, but just rolled his eyes, sighing as he made to follow the group out.

"Wait, Randy," Johnny called out, desperate to stop the purple-scaled monster. "I'm… sorry for doing that."

"Oh, it's alright," Randy muttered as he turned back to the older monster. "I should have known better. It's just that, for a moment there, I forgot I was someone you 'can't be seen approving of'."

"Look, Randy, I-"

"No, it's OK," Randy butted in. "I understand, your pride takes precedence."

"It's not that, it's just I-"

"Just… do me a favour," Randy cut in once more. "Stop stringing me along. If you don't want anything to do with me, that's fine. But stop pretending you do."

Johnny sighed, realising he'd blown it. He knew Randy was right. He was letting his pride, his reputation, get in the way. Unable to argue, he decided to at least try and be polite. "You gonna be OK getting back?" he asked, showing a look of concern. "Want me to walk you to the dorms?"

Randy shook his head. "I'll be fine." He went to turn away and head out, but couldn't bring himself to leave Johnny feeling he resented him. He turned back, smiling faintly. "Thanks. For inviting me… and for saving me that embarrassment there."

"No problem," he replied, smiling back. He watched the younger monster leave, inwardly cursing himself for his own stupid actions, and for not thinking of anything else to say. He wasn't even sure there was anything he could say.

Once Randy was out of sight, Johnny turned to see the DJ finishing his set, the last few monsters remaining now making their way towards the hall. As they passed, he thanked them for coming to the party, and once all had left, he set about clearing up the living space, the other RORs soon joining him.

"Great party, huh?" Sulley said with a wide smile.

"Definitely. I can't believe that Boggs guy had such skills," Chip said.

"He was certainly a challenge," Javier admitted.

"He actually managed to score two points!" Chet said excitedly. "It was awesome!"

"He sure was," Johnny said to himself, only just being heard by Javier, who turned to him with a smirk. Johnny rolled his eyes at the look he got, and continued to focus on tidying.

* * *

Randy stumbled his way into the dorm building, carefully climbing the two flights of stairs to the second floor and making his way to his room. Once there, a sudden panic came over him; he'd forgotten his key. Taking a sharp breath in, bracing himself for his roommate's anger that was bound to follow, he knocked on the door. No response. He knocked again, louder this time. A loud grumble could be heard from the other side of the door, followed by some shuffling and loud footsteps. The door swung open, a very annoyed looking green monster standing at the entrance.

"Randy, do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Sorry Mike," he said sheepishly.

"Yeah, yeah."

Mike stepped aside, allowing Randy passage into the room, and closed the door behind them. Randy slowly stumbled his way over to the bed and instantly climbed in. He closed his eyes, ready for sleep to take him.

"Whoa there, Randy," Mike said, slight irritation present in his voice, but with a hint of playfulness. "You've woken me up now, so you don't get to sleep until you spill. How'd the party go?"

Randy leaned up slightly in bed, looking over to his roommate who was now sat on his bed. "It was… pretty good, actually."

"Oh really?" Mike said, furrowing his brow to one side. "And what about Johnny?"

"What about him?"

"Well, did anything happen?"

"No, nothing."

"So he wasn't out to get you tonight then?"

"I don't think so, no."

Mike heaved a sigh of relief. "That's good." He then smirked a little. "And he didn't profess his love to you either, I take it?"

Randy sighed. "No, quite the opposite actually. He doesn't want to be seen with me."

"What a creep."

"Yeah…" Randy trailed off, upset by the fact that he found himself agreeing with the sentiment.

A moment of silence passed between the two, but Mike decided to ask more, determined not to let the night end on a sad note. "So what actually happened at the party? Don't tell me you spent the night drinking alone."

"Oh no, quite a lot happened actually," Randy said, becoming more cheerful. "In fact, I was made an honorary member of JOX," he added with a hint of glee.

"Really? C'mon, tell me everything!"

Randy couldn't help but beam, seeing Mike take more of an interest in _him_ for once rather than their studying. He retold all of the events of that night, enjoying both the distraction from thinking about Johnny, and the more personal conversation with his roommate.

* * *

Once the room was cleared and the furniture was back in place, most of the RORs went to their rooms, ready to retire for the night. Two lingered behind, however, taking a seat on the couch.

"Did the party go as you'd hoped?" Javier asked his friend and leader.

"Yeah," Johnny said, although he couldn't hide the slight disappointment in his voice.

Javier gave a knowing smile. "You were hoping for something to happen between you and Randy?"

Johnny looked to his friend with a thoughtful expression. "I don't know. I'm not really sure what I wanted to happen."

Javier snorted. "That'd be a first."

Johnny looked slightly offended, before chuckling at the comment. "That is very true."

The two sat in silence for a moment, exhausted from the party, but not quite ready to head off to bed just yet.

"What do you think?" Javier asked, finally breaking the silence. "Were we wrong about him? Do you think he might actually be able to pass his final?"

"I think perhaps he could if, as you said, his skill is transferrable to Scaring." Johnny furrowed his brow, not sure if he should be pleased or annoyed with the realisation.

"I guess we'll wait and see," Javier said. "It's almost a whole semester away. Time will tell."

"Mm," Johnny hummed in agreement.

After another moment of silence, Javier thought of one last question that had been bugging him since this morning. "Do you want him to pass?"

Johnny looked to his friend, and hesitated in answering. "I don't really know," he admitted. "Part of me says no, because he and his friend just don't _look_ like the type to be Scarers, and after all I've said it'd show us up pretty badly."

"But part of you says yes because it would raise fewer questions should you wish to pursue a relationship with him?"

Johnny was slightly shocked at his friend's words, echoing his own thoughts perfectly. "Yes," he replied plainly, too surprised to think of anything else to say.

Javier nodded in understanding. "So, it is a relationship you want then?"

Johnny again hesitated. "I'm not really sure. Maybe." He looked down a moment, deep in thought. There were a lot of emotions to work his way through before truly knowing the answer to that question. "I'm not really sure what I want. I'm attracted to him, that's for sure. But do I want intimacy… or something more? I don't know. It doesn't matter though, because he's a Scaring major and I can't help but think he'll embarrass himself at the final, I can't look past my stupid pride long enough to figure it out."

"But you do want something?"

"Yeah…" Johnny trailed off.

"Are you sure Randy passing his finals will really make all the difference?"

"No," Johnny admitted.

Javier thought for a moment. "Perhaps it would be wise to keep your distance until you can figure this out then, lest you do something to ruin any chance you may have had."

"That's if I haven't already."

"Oh?"

"Well, earlier, just as he was leaving, he tripped up the stairs and I caught him… and I might have held onto him a little too long."

Javier chuckled. "Well that doesn't sound too bad."

"No, it wasn't. What was bad is when I pushed him away from me just before we were caught."

"Ah. I can probably see how that might have upset him."

"You're telling me," he sighed. He then thought to ask Javier a question of his own. "Do you think it's right for us to distance ourselves from… well, from monsters like Randy and Mike?"

Javier was slightly shocked at the question; as president it wasn't like Johnny to question the way the fraternity conducted itself. "We have a certain image. As the top fraternity on campus, we're expected to set an example for all other students. Admittedly, associating too closely with monsters who are unlikely to set such an example is harmful to our reputation."

Johnny nodded in agreement. "While that is true, you didn't really answer my question. Is it _right_?"

Javier made no response, and Johnny just sighed.

"It is the way it is," Javier stated simply. "But it is something in your power to change."

Johnny remained silent. His friend's words rang true, but it was something easier said than done, if it was something he even wanted to begin with.

After a few more minutes Johnny stretched his arms above his head and gave a heavy yawn. He stood from his seat, deciding he was now ready to head off to bed. "Good night, Javier."

"Night," he replied with a smile.

Johnny headed out into the hall, and took one last look into the living area, seeing Javier had grabbed the materials he had been studying from before the party.

"Don't stay up too late," he called out. "The project's not worth stressing over _that_ much."

"Yeah, yeah," Javier called back, smiling before turning back to his book.

Johnny chuckled and headed up to his room. Climbing into bed, he stared up at the ceiling for a while, thoughts of the party running through his mind. The ping pong match, Randy dancing with the JOX, catching him and holding him in his arms… He realised he'd spent a lot more of the party either watching or interacting with the freshman than he'd intended to.

The senior forced himself to come to the realisation that Randy was something he couldn't have. At least not yet. It didn't matter how much he liked him, or how much Johnny was starting to realise he _wanted_ him, he couldn't risk his reputation. The pressures of maintaining his image would always overrule anything else in his mind, and he hated himself for it. Were it purely up to him, he'd have already made his move, professed his feelings to the object of his affections. But the ever-present eyes of those who looked up to him, those who _judged_ him, just simply wouldn't allow him to. He couldn't change who he was, what he stood for, just for the sake of one monster.

Despite all that, there was still something about Randy, something that kept drawing Johnny to him. It was strange, no matter how much the senior had lusted after someone before, he'd never quite felt like this. Was it love?

The senior dismissed the thought; he'd only met Randy a couple of days ago. It was far too early to feel that way about him. But for whatever reason, as sleep finally claimed him, he couldn't completely ignore the notion.


	7. Chapter 6: Progress

**A/N: So, another weekend, another update. I'm doing pretty well at this, I think. Granted, not much of Sunday left now, but... well, here it is! ^_^**

**With no official source to go by (as far as I'm aware), with the exception of Johnny and Sulley I've had to decide which year the other RORs are in with their studies. Going by the scores in the final Scare Games event in MU (not the most reliable method I know, but the movie doesn't offer a lot), I've decided Javier and Chet could easily be seniors too, Chip a junior, and Reggie... well, Reggie's a hard one to place. Sophomore at best, I'd say though. Disagree with me? Please, review or PM me your thoughts.**

**And as always, hope you enjoy the story.**

* * *

_A pair of strong, muscular, furry arms wrapped around Randy's waist, pulling him closer into an intense embrace. He looked up to meet the deep purple eyes gazing lovingly into his own eyes of emerald. The faintest of blushes could be made out through Johnny's fur, and Randy could feel his own radiating intense heat from his face. Their chests were pressed together, Johnny's fur feeling warm and cosy against his cool scales, and each could feel the other's heartbeat along with their own. Claws lightly grazed Randy's sides, a pleasant tingling sensation left in their wake._

_They drew closer, faces mere inches apart. Randy saw Johnny close his eyes, slowly leaning in as he also pulled the young reptilian closer. The apprehension of what was to come was almost too much to bear, and Randy swallowed the lump in his throat as he too closed his eyes. The heat radiating from Johnny's face was feeling hotter and hotter as he came closer. This was it; any moment Randy would have his first kiss and he couldn't be happier._

Randy awoke with a start, the blaring alarm from his roommate's clock having interrupted his dream at the most crucial point. He was sure that if he were the type of monster who physically could, this would be a dream he would have awoken from in a cold sweat. Inwardly cursing the mixed signals his mind was producing, he slowly heaved himself up to sit at the edge of the bed, rubbing his head as the dull ache of a hangover took hold.

"So, glutton for punishment then, huh?"

The sudden voice snapped Randy out of his daze and he looked up, groaning slightly in pain as he did this too quickly, and saw his roommate smirking at him. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Oh, just that you were muttering an awful lot during your sleep."

"R-Really?" He blushed, dreading the answer to his next question but feeling the need to ask it anyway. "What… was I saying?"

"Well, I couldn't catch most of it, you were too quiet. But you did happen to mention a certain fraternity president's name an awful lot…" he trailed off with a goofy grin.

Randy blushed more, not at all surprised by the answer, but was more embarrassed all the same. "Shit…" he muttered, angry at the way his mind was messing with him. He was already unsure how he should feel about Johnny, this wasn't helping matters.

Mike gasped slightly, not accustomed to hearing any form of coarse language from his usually timid and meek roommate. "Wow, got you this frustrated, huh?"

Randy looked up to him with a sad smile. "Sure does. I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to feel. I'm angry at him, of course I am. But at the same time…" He shrugged his shoulders. "I just… I dunno."

"But you feel more for him than just base attraction, right?"

"That's just it, I don't know. I think I do, but what exactly it is I like about him I can't say. He's prideful, arrogant, belittling… He's a bully, Mike. What could I possibly see in him?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "You're asking the wrong guy, buddy. I agree with every point you made there, but I don't think I could find anything good about him. Sure, the guy's attractive, anyone can see that and even I have to admit it, much as I hate to, but in my eye he doesn't have a single redeeming quality. He's just a smug, self-centred jerk."

Randy nodded slightly and sighed. "I've dealt with guys like that all my school life. I'd _never_ think of associating with someone like him under any other circumstance. So why I find myself _wanting_ to talk to him when he's around… I can't say."

Mike silently studied his roommate for a moment, not sure what to say. He didn't agree with Randy's affection for the ROR president, nor did he like it a single bit, but he knew he couldn't deny him it if it was what he wanted. But seeing that very same affection tear Randy up inside, messing with his emotions, made him want to do just that. His train of thought was derailed when Randy spoke up again.

"I suppose… there is the fact that, although he's _insulted_ me, he hasn't threatened me. Not like the _others_ always did. And… he does seem to _try_ to be gentle with his words. Almost like although he doesn't believe in me, he _wants_ to. In fact, he said as much."

"Really?" Mike was genuinely shocked by this. "Huh. Guess he has a heart after all."

A moment's silence passed before Mike jumped up enthusiastically, unintentionally triggering Randy's reflex to blend into his surroundings.

"Sorry buddy," he chuckled as Randy returned to his vision. "But I've just had an idea. Does he know about your ability?"

"No."

"Have you been able to keep it in check around other monsters?"

"Yeah, I have actually," Randy said, surprising himself when he realised he'd gone a whole week without blending out of shock. Until now, that is. "No-one's seen me do it besides you. I've only done it twice out of shock, once when we moved in and, well… just now," he chuckled.

"This is perfect! OK, here's the deal. He doesn't believe in you, but he wants to. So… we give him reason to!"

Randy looked confused. "I don't follow."

"Well, I know you're not going to like what I say next, but bear in mind this could take a while." He heaved a small sigh, his enthusiasm dying just slightly. "You'll have to try and keep your distance from him until the finals are over."

Randy flashed a small smile. "It's OK, I expected that. Thought it might be a good idea myself, actually."

Mike's enthusiasm returned full circle upon hearing Randy's agreement. "Great! Well, we're going with the original plan. We're gonna **prove** to them we've got the right stuff. Now, I don't think I'll have too much problem, especially when it comes to theory, and I'll make sure you won't too. But we need to _practice_ our scare technique too."

"OK," Randy said, nodding. "Sounds good, but I don't see anything new here."

"Ah, well remember what I said the first time we met?" he said, grinning wildly. "I wasn't kidding when I said you need to use your ability. Do you have any idea what any other monster would give to have the ability to disappear? It will _definitely_ play to your advantage. And since Johnny doesn't even know about it, when he does find out, and believe me he will one way or the other, then he'll have no choice but to admit he was wrong about you."

Randy slowly began to smile wider the more he heard this plan until he was beaming as Mike finished. "Wow. I never even thought of it like that."

Mike laughed. "I only just thought of it myself. No-one knows you can blend into your surroundings, and if you can keep it under wraps until the finals, you'll surprise **everyone**! There's no way people can deny your ability to scare given the right technique."

"And you're willing to help me do that?" he asked, his smile showing no sign of faltering.

"Of course! We can help each other study _and_ practice. It might mean less partying for you though."

Randy's smile did drop slightly at this, the thought of seeing less of his friends in JOX so soon after being whole-heartedly accepted by them wasn't exactly appealing. But he supposed his studies should come first, as well as the chance to impress everyone with his skill and prove them all wrong. It would be the perfect opportunity to achieve both his goals; become a top Scarer and being accepted by the 'cool kids'. "OK," he said, nodding as his smile returned. "Great plan, Mike."

Mike nodded, still holding his smile. He then looked over to the clock and almost shrieked in surprise. "Oh my… look at the time! We gotta hurry up if we want to grab a bite to eat, or else we'll never make class on time!"

Randy then looked at the clock, and panicked too. The two monsters rushed around to find their study materials, plucking books from their desks and bookshelves, with Randy pausing a couple of times to either settle his head or his stomach, cursing himself for choosing a Sunday night to be the first time he'd ever gotten drunk. Randy reached the door first and pulled it open, Mike soon following after having sprayed himself with a little odorant to make up for the lack of showering. Just as Mike was about to leave, Randy put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "Mike?"

"Yeah Randy?" he replied, turning to face his roommate.

Randy smiled once more before replying. "Thanks."

"Just don't puke on the way there and we'll call it even," he chuckled.

Randy laughed at this, shaking his head slightly before deciding it was too strenuous to do so. The two left their room to make their way to the cafeteria, preparing for their second week of classes.

* * *

A large, purple-furred fist slammed against an alarm clock, almost threatening to break it. Looking up to get a better view of the time being displayed, he cursed as he realised it had been little under two hours before he'd finally fallen asleep again.

His first dream hadn't been a pleasant one; memories he'd tried to keep buried for so many years had resurfaced, all morphing into one horrific nightmare. He had awoken a mere half hour after falling asleep, screaming silently. After that, he had trouble settling again. His thoughts were consumed by these memories for a while before trailing off to thoughts of Randy. He remembered their exchange the morning before the party, the way the younger monster recoiled from him in fear, and allowed himself to wonder if perhaps their experiences had at some point been similar. Guilt had then consumed him as he silently cried himself to sleep a few hours later.

Stretching his body out with a large yawn, the senior clambered gingerly out of bed. He grabbed a towel and made his way to the bathroom. He set the shower tap running and, once he decided the temperature of the water was to his liking, stood under the shower head, letting the warm water trail down his body. He closed his eyes and once again allowed the thoughts of last night wash over him, the dreams, the interactions between him and Randy, and also the conversation he had with Javier before retiring for the night.

'Perhaps Javier is right,' Johnny thought to himself. 'Perhaps we should keep our distance. For Randy's sake. At least until the finals are over. If he doesn't pass, chances are I'll never see him again anyway.'

He sighed, realising the last thought actually upset him greatly. He still didn't understand why he felt so strongly for the freshman, but decided it best not to dwell on it. He had enough to worry about already; his studies, his project, his fraternity and a certain blue-and-purple monster he _still_ couldn't convince to get serious about his studies.

Rather than relaxing any longer under the falling water, he settled to clean himself quickly and get ready for class. Besides, it was more than likely Sulley would be counting on his wake-up call. If he wasn't serious about studying, chances were he was just as carefree about actually attending his classes.

Having scrubbed up and washed off, he turned off the tap and shook off all the excess moisture he could before setting about drying himself off with the towel, carefully brushing out his coat of fur after. He then made his way back to his room, pulling one of many golden-coloured shirts from his closet and putting it on, followed by a red sweater with his fraternity's insignia displayed boldly and proudly across the front.

He quickly leaned over the bannister, spotting four of his brothers littering the living area, which was devoid of the exact same monster he'd figured it would be.

"Guys, is Sul up yet?" he called down, frowning as all four either shook their head or muttered a "no" in return.

He walked over to the smallest bedroom of the house, stomping a little louder than intended, irritated despite the fact that he'd been expecting this to happen. He knocked on the door quickly and loudly, calling out in an equally irritated tone. "Sul, are you up yet?"

A muffled moan greeted him in reply, sounding like it was coming from behind a pillow. He rolled his eyes and called out again. "C'mon Sul, you've got an hour to get ready for class." He then smiled playfully, changing his tone to match. "Get ready quick enough and there might be some bacon in it for you."

Satisfied with the quick shuffling sound emanating from the room, he chuckled to himself as he made his way downstairs.

"Did I hear 'bacon'?" Chip called out, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. Anyone else want in?" He cursed himself for even offering as he saw three different hands shoot into the air. "Someone else is doing breakfast tomorrow," he chuckled as he made his way to the kitchen. "Not Chip though, I want to live!" he called out as he fired up the stove.

Chip scowled at this as the other three laughed. "I'm not _that_ bad," he whined.

"Last time you cooked we were throwing up the next three days," Chet chuckled. "I mean, what even was that?"

"Lasagne," Chip said, at which the others roared in laughter again. "OK, it was _supposed_ to be."

"Don't worry," Javier said once the laughter died down. "We'll make a domestic god of you yet."

"In about thirty years," Chet piped in.

Chip mumbled something incomprehensible while the others carried on laughing. Johnny overheard all of this and hoped the high spirits could be kept up for the whole day. Gods knew he needed it.

* * *

The week passed quickly and uneventfully. The whole time, neither Mike nor Randy had seen a single ROR member with the exception of Sulley, who unfortunately they shared classes with. Mike often remarked he was surprised the big blue monster even bothered to show up to classes at all, albeit late half the time.

Randy was a little surprised that he'd seen no sign of the RORs. He hadn't even seen Johnny on his morning walks, although considering he only had once the week previous, he didn't think this too strange. Despite not sharing the same classes, they were still on the same program, so logically they should have encountered each other at least once. However, he shrugged the thought off, considering it good fortune.

The courses themselves were going well. In class, Mike would correctly answer almost every question before anyone else had the chance. Despite knowing the answer to most, Randy would never once raise his hand, too shy to draw attention to himself in class. He did occasionally look over to Sulley, not once seeing him taking notes, let alone raise his hand to answer a question. He wondered how Sulley, and the RORs, could be so confident in his success, even daring to allow himself to think beating him in the finals would be a cinch.

Outside of class, he and his roommate would spend a lot of their time studying. In a bid to get out of their room a little more often, the two monsters had found a spot on the quad to claim as their own under the very tree Randy had rested under to study the weekend previous. They would read from their books, test each other, and on the rare occasion they were in their room they would practice their techniques. Randy soon discovered he did, in fact, have more control over his blending ability than first thought. Mike instructed him on how best to use this, teaching him the best ways of staying silent, avoiding obstacles and other small tips. It would take a while, but Randy was slowly starting to get the hang of it.

Once Friday came around, Randy felt much more confident in his skill and knowledge than he ever had, and he knew he had no-one but Mike to thank for that. He felt they were quickly forming a strong bond, but he only wished they could share more together than just studying and the odd meal in the cafeteria. Still, he was happy enough with the way things were and only hoped Mike felt the same. They were, after all, doing something no-one else ever had; they were not only helping each other learn their courses, they were building each other's confidence in their ability to succeed. And that meant more to Randy than Mike could ever know.

* * *

He blinked and a whole week had gone by. There hadn't been any parties so far that week save for one that was held by the PNKs that was exclusively for the sororities, so nothing had really distracted him from his studies or time with his brothers.

Johnny slouched in his seat as he looked around the living area of the ROR house. Javier and Chet talked amongst themselves about one of their projects on one side of the room, but the rest of the space was vacant. Friday afternoons were a free period for seniors on the Scaring program, one which most, like the three RORs present, would spend working on their various assignments and projects. Sulley, Chip and Reggie would be due back later once their final classes were finished.

Johnny sighed as he looked down on his own project, the same one he'd been working on last week. It was actually almost finished, a full month before the due date, and he'd promised to help the other two with theirs once he had put the finishing touches to his conclusions. Scribbling a few notes for what he planned to do later, he piled all of his books and paperwork up and carried it back up to his room. Coming back to the living space, he saw the other two scribbling furiously before promptly stopping, setting about following Johnny's example by packing up and leaving the rest of it for tomorrow.

"OK guys, party tonight," Johnny said with a smile.

"Can't wait!" Chet said excitedly. "I've been looking forward to an excuse for putting _this_ off for a bit." He pointed to his project, now a pile of books and papers, a slight look of disdain flashing across his face before displaying his usual grin.

"Chet, can you do me a favour?" Javier asked the crab-like monster. "Could you take my project upstairs too? I need a quick word with Johnny."

"Oh, uh, sure," he said, looking confused for a moment before shrugging it off. He took his pile, along with Javier's, and made his way up the stairs.

The two other monsters watched as he disappeared from view, the rapid thumping sound of his many legs striking the carpet fading not long after. Javier then turned to Johnny, a slight look of concern on his face. "You do realise that, chances are, Randy will be there?"

Johnny sighed. "Yeah, I know. But we can't act any differently, not in front of the others. I don't want them catching on to what's going on."

Javier cocked an eyebrow. "And what is going on? Any closer to figuring out what exactly it is you want?"

Johnny looked to the ground, muttering sadly. "Not really, no."

Javier nodded in understanding, looking slightly more concerned. "Don't worry Johnny, you'll know soon enough."

"I hope so," Johnny said, looking up again. "But until then, I think you were right. I should try to avoid him. If we do bump into each other, sure I'll be civil, but I'll be sure not to talk to him too long, or too personally."

"Try not to appear too cold, though. You don't want to act like nothing happened. You could upset him more."

Johnny sighed again. "You're right."

Javier patted the horned monster's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry too much about it; nothing can be done until the situation presents itself."

Johnny nodded, knowing his friend was right. There was, after all, no use worrying about something that may not even happen.

Javier then started making his way to the kitchen, motioning Johnny to follow him. "Come, let's distract ourselves with your 'world famous' chilli. We'll want to get it done before the others get back. The last thing we need is for Chip to try his hand at one of his 'improvements'," he chuckled.

Johnny couldn't help but smile at this, following his friend into the kitchen. "True enough, I don't think killing Randy and the JOX would really solve the problem."

* * *

He knew it would most likely be a useless endeavour, but still Randy tried his best.

"C'mon Mike, please? Just this once?" the purple monster begged his roommate.

"I'm sorry Randy," Mike said with a slightly amused smile. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but my answer is still no."

"But Mike, trust me, they're different. They're not like the RORs, they won't judge you just because you don't 'look the way a Scarer should'," he said, gesturing the quotes with his fingers. "The JOX guys are hosting tonight's party. I could introduce you, trust me, they're gonna love you."

"I know Randy, but I just don't feel like it. I just want to keep studying. Like I said before, once the finals are over, things'll change."

"But we're already ahead of our studies now, Mike, you made sure of that. We're at least a month ahead now and I've never felt more confident. We still have over two months until the finals. Surely one night off won't kill ya?"

"I'm sorry Randy, but no," Mike answered curtly. "I've already said you can go without messing up your study schedule, so please, just leave me to mine."

Randy sighed sadly. "Do you at least want to help me make the cupcakes? That could still be fun."

Mike flashed Randy an incredulous look before laughing. "Well sure, Randy, I _could_ help you do that. But you might find yourself up for murder charges."

Randy chuckled at this, rolling his eyes. "OK, fine. But I'm sure you couldn't be that bad. One day I'll teach you."

"Sure, if you can teach Archie to fly, you're free to try and do just that," he said, still laughing. He then turned back to his desk, grabbing a book to begin reading from.

Randy continued chuckling as he made his way to the kitchen, one shared by all students living on the floor. It was pretty spacious, with enough appliances to allow perhaps a third of them to cook at the same time. Thankfully, not many seemed to use the ovens, instead opting for the microwaves, leaving Randy free to bake any time he chose.

He opened up the cupboard belonging to himself and Mike, pulling out the ingredients he'd be needing and setting them out on one of the counters. He then pulled out a bowl and whisk, setting about baking the cupcakes he'd promised Big Red he'd bring. After making the mix, spooning it into some paper cups and setting them onto a baking tray, which he slid onto a tray in the pre-heated oven, he slumped back against a counter and sighed. That niggling doubt in his mind decided to rear its ugly head once again, wondering if the friendship he had with Mike would purely be based on studying. What if, when he finally decided to attend a party, Mike became more popular than him? What if he ditched him like so many so-called 'friends' had done before? Mike wasn't nearly as nervous or self-aware as him; he was a lot more confident, energetic and vocal.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. 'That won't happen,' he thought with a smile. No, their friendship was one that was built to last.


	8. Chapter 7: Rebuff

"Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, GIMME!"

Once again Randy found himself barely through the door before being assaulted by his large red friend. He had to laugh at the enthusiasm and the strange way Big Red strode over to him faster than what most people would consider a sprint. "Have you been keeping an eye out for me this whole time?"

"Damn right I have, I've been waiting for these!" his voice boomed, not bothering to contain himself. Without warning he quickly snatched a cupcake from the tray Randy was holding and shoved it in his mouth in one swift movement, seeming to swallow it whole before moaning in satisfaction.

"Did you even have time to taste that? You seemed to just… kinda inhale it," Randy chuckled, shaking his head.

"Hey, I've been waiting to get a taste of these for a whole week. Cut a guy a break," he replied, laughing and giving Randy a pat on the back which caused the tray to wobble precariously. "C'mon, you can put the tray on the table over there."

He led Randy over to a table where a space had been left, about the size of the tray he was holding, he noted. Randy set the tray down, although not before Big Red helped himself to another of the baked treats.

"Grab a beer, little man," the large red monster said, his voice muffled with a mouthful of cupcake, actually seeming to take the time to savour it this time.

Randy did just that as Big Red made his way to his brothers, shouting enthusiastically about cupcakes.

* * *

"Cupcakes?" Javier muttered as he and the other RORs watched Randy's entrance with mild interest. "Not exactly your typical frat party offering."

"You've got to try one, though," Johnny said more keenly, his eyes trained on the table hungrily. "Sure, it's not the most traditional of party snacks, but I'd be lying if I said you'd regret having one."

Turning back to his fraternity, he was greeted by incredulous looks from his brothers.

"What?" Johnny chuckled. "He brought 'em to the party last week. They're really good, trust me."

"OK…" Javier said, a smirk appearing.

"Pfft, or don't," Johnny shrugged.

The other RORs laughed at this while Johnny resumed watching Randy. He seemed to be successfully mingling with other monsters, not sticking to just the JOX brothers this time.

"He seems to be gaining confidence," Johnny said to himself, smiling proudly.

"That he does," came a voice from his side, making Johnny jump.

The ROR president whirled around to see Javier was looking in the same direction he had been, and standing much closer to him than he'd remember him being.

"Can't a guy get some privacy?" he said, both irritation and amusement in his tone.

"Oh, sorry, didn't realise this was a _private_ peep show," Javier replied sarcastically, displaying that same smirk that was beginning to become irritating to Johnny.

"You know it's not like that," he huffed, turning back to watch Randy as he talked and laughed with a group of a few monsters. "I just want to keep an eye out for him. I _do_ worry about him, y'know."

"Worry about who?" came a new voice, surprising both Johnny and Javier.

They whirled around to see Sulley was looking at them curiously, trying to follow their gaze and not being able to determine who they were talking about.

"Never you mind, Big Blue," Johnny smiled, wrapping his arm around the freshman and leading him to the drinks table. "C'mon, let's get another drink."

"Great, I'm parched," Sulley admitted, to which Johnny cocked an eyebrow. Sulley had downed at least three drinks since arriving as far as Johnny knew.

"Great. And about those cupcakes…"

* * *

Randy broke from the group of monsters he'd been talking with and tried to spot the JOX brothers. He was more confident now with talking with other people, even if the conversation was mostly dominated by ping pong, but he didn't want to appear rude to his hosts and brothers.

He spotted Johnny walking to and from the table with Sulley with a few cupcakes in his hand. He saw all the RORs take one, after a little hesitation, but all nodding in appreciation as they took a bite. 'Well, that's four more approvals,' he thought to himself, inwardly chuckling.

He watched Johnny for a while, talking and laughing with his fraternity brothers. He couldn't help but be a little envious, but made sure to keep his face as emotionless as possible. However, his gaze didn't leave the horned monster until a voice snapped his attention away.

"Attractive guy, isn't he?"

Randy immediately blushed as he realised he was spotted gawking at the senior. "Oh, uh, it's not-"

"Look, don't worry about it," the other monster said. "I'm certainly not one to judge."

After getting over the initial shock and embarrassment, Randy studied the monster in front of him. He realised it was one of the girls he'd tried to approach at the first JOX party; she was blue-grey with medium-length black hair and two eyestalks, wearing a body-length black leather jacket.

"I take it you're into guys?" she asked.

Randy hesitated a moment; he didn't need to give reason to become an outcast again, not now he was finally gaining popularity. However, deciding her tone was innocent enough, and realising she probably _wasn't_ one to judge based on her own appearance, he decided there was no danger in telling the truth. "Yes, I'm a bisexual."

"Oh really?" She seemed surprised at first, making Randy initially regret his decision, but the regret was quickly lost when she continued. "Me too." She smiled warmly in almost an instant sense of camaraderie, and Randy inwardly chuckled that the smile wasn't as out of place as he'd figured it would be on a HSS member.

"Randy Boggs," he said with a smile of his own, holding out his hand.

"Sonia Lewis," she replied, shaking his hand. "First, I just want to apologise for ignoring you at the party last week. That was… kinda rude."

"Oh, uh, that's OK."

She shook her head. "No, it's not. It was totally uncool of me and Nadya, we shouldn't have done that. We know what it's like to be outcasts, after all."

"It's OK, honest," Randy replied, smiling reassuringly. A brief silence fell over them, although it wasn't wholly uncomfortable.

"Say," Sonia piped up. "I don't think I've seen you in the club. Have you not joined yet?"

Randy looked puzzled a moment. "Club?"

"Yeah, the LGBT club. Aren't you a member yet?"

Randy was taken aback. He hadn't even known there was such a club at MU. "N-No, I can't say I am. I didn't even know about it."

Sonia sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, unfortunately the members who were _supposed_ to set up the table on the quad during orientation didn't show up. So I guess that's not much of a surprise." She then reached into a pocket on her jacket and pulled out a card, handing it to the freshman. "The back of the card lists the times we meet up, and where to go. You should come along."

"Oh, th-thanks," he said, taking the card and briefly looking it over.

"Don't mention it," she said with a smile. "Just, don't expect _him_ to be there anytime soon." She gestured towards Johnny.

Randy looked over again and saw Johnny laughing heartily with his brothers. "Yeah, he's probably not the type to be too open about it."

"Oh no, it's not that," she said, earning a curious look from the reptilian before her. She smiled as though replaying a funny memory. "He… kinda caused a bit of a problem with the president of the club."

Randy cocked an eyebrow, even more curious now. "I'm not surprised, but this does sound rather interesting."

"Oh, it was. Every time he went to a meeting he'd spend the whole time hitting on the president."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Randy said, a little disappointed with the tidbit of gossip.

"It wouldn't have been if he didn't already have a boyfriend. Which Johnny knew about."

"Oh. That couldn't have ended well."

"Actually, it ended a little too well. For Johnny that is."

Randy simply returned her amused smile with a puzzled look before she continued.

"He ended up getting _both_ of them in his bed."

"Oh. Oh wow." Randy wasn't sure what to make of it, though he wasn't wholly surprised.

"But that wasn't the best part. He did the same to the president's sister the next week."

"What?!" Randy blurted out.

Sonia giggled. "Yeah, that kind of did it for him. Johnny was chewed out and banned from the club. It's safe to say the club's president was furious with him."

"I could imagine," Randy said, although he was crestfallen at the news. He hadn't pegged Johnny as being such a player, although he was more saddened by the fact that this still didn't surprise him.

Sonia noticed this, and attempted to reassure him. "Don't worry; I hear he's a totally different monster now. He left all that sort of thing behind him after his sophomore year. Grew up a little bit, I guess you could say."

Randy perked up a little at this, but he still wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Who knows? You might have a chance if he likes you enough," she said, smiling warmly.

Randy noticed there was a hint of doubt in her eyes, but that was to be expected. If Johnny really was more selective about his choice in partner now, he doubted he'd be the only one out of the running which, given Johnny's actions last week, he had no doubt he was. At least, for now. "Maybe," he said non-committedly.

She turned to leave before another thought seemed to strike her, and she turned back, still smiling. "Oh, and I just wanted to say we were wrong about what we thought about those cupcakes before. I tried one earlier, and they're great!"

"Thank you," Randy said, smiling as he mentally added another mark to the tally of compliments he'd now received on his baking skills.

"Sure, they're not exactly a _normal_ thing to bring to a party," she continued, but then gestured to herself with a smile. "But what _is_ 'normal' anyway, right?" She gave a wink as she turned and made her way back to where the rest of her sorority were standing.

Randy chuckled, appreciating her last remark. There never really seemed to be a clear-cut definition of 'normal' in his books, and when he thought hard about it, nothing had been normal about his first two weeks at MU either.

He made his way back to the drinks table and, as he readied to pour himself another drink, he saw a large and all-too-familiar shadow looming over him. Before the owner of said shadow even had time to speak, Randy whirled around and spoke first. "Don't you dare!"

"What?" Big Red chuckled, playing innocent.

"You know exactly what I mean," he replied with a sly smile. "I'd prefer to keep hold of my drinks tonight, thank you."

"Alright, alright," he chuckled, actually seeming to realise what he'd done at the last party. "I was only gonna say 'congrats'."

Randy became slightly confused. "For what?"

"Well, her," he said, pointing towards Sonia who was currently busy talking to the monster Randy had now come to know as Nadya. "I think you're in there, bud."

Randy then became a little flustered, clearing his throat as he tried to resist the urge to blush, but failed miserably. "I-It wasn't like that."

"Sure it wasn't," he replied sarcastically, displaying a wide, knowing grin. "Not like you just achieved the impossible and made a HSS girl laugh or anything."

"W-Well, that… that wasn't because… It wasn't like that," he repeated, not being able to think of anything else to say in his defence.

"Randy, calm down," the larger monster laughed. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, after all. In fact, I'm proud of you."

Randy looked up to see Big Red displaying the goofiest grin he had ever witnessed, and couldn't help but chuckle and roll his eyes. "Oh brother," he muttered. "Honestly, we were just talking about a club she was part of, and she invited me to join."

"Really?" he said, cocking an eyebrow. "I didn't have ya pegged as a fan of death metal."

Randy laughed at this, not sure what to make of such a thought. That kind of music was as far away from his taste in classical pieces as chalk was from cheese. Or a drink from Randy's hand should Big Red have his way. "No, no, it wasn't anything like that."

"So which club was it?" he asked, genuinely curious now.

Randy's smile dropped at the sudden realisation that, as far as he knew, nobody but Mike, Johnny and now Sonia knew of his sexuality. As much as he loved his brothers, the JOX did quite literally take after their name; they were, for the most part, your run-of-the-mill stereotypical jocks. And in Randy's experience, usually they weren't exactly the most open-minded kind of folk. He inwardly cursed himself for never thinking of this before. "Well, uh, it's…"

Before Randy had the chance to answer, Big Red had reached down and taken the card from his hand, something he'd forgotten he was even holding. The larger of the two stared down onto the card, furrowing his brow, his smile quickly replaced by a frown. "Oh," he said simply, handing Randy back the card. "So, you're gay?"

Randy looked up to meet the other monster's questioning gaze, swallowing the lump in his throat that had formed as soon as the card was taken from him. "Um, bisexual actually." He wrung his lower set of hands as he frowned, slightly disturbed by the body language given off by Big Red. "That's not going to be a problem, is it?"

Big Red's eyes shot open, widening in shock as though caught doing something he shouldn't be. "Oh, no, it's not… It's just… No, it's fine," he stammered, finishing with a sigh.

Randy's tone became suspicious. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, totally," he said, adding a weak chuckle. He went to give Randy his usual pat on the back, but stopped just short, quickly withdrawing his hand as though it might catch fire.

Randy sighed sadly, shaking his head. "Look, Red, if it's gonna be a problem you don't have to deny it." He looked up to the larger monster with sad eyes, an apologetic smile playing on his features. "I'm sorry I never said before, I should've seen this coming. I should've been honest with you from the start." He replaced his cup on the table and turned towards the exit. "If it's gonna make you uncomfortable, it's probably best I just leave. You don't have to keep me around out of pity, or duty. I was used to being alone before, I'm sure I can do it again."

Randy flashed a quick smile and without another word, he made his way to the doors, stepping out of the JOX house while ignoring the protests of Big Red.

"Randy! Come back! It's not a problem, honest! I can explain! Please!" Big Red sighed as he saw the young reptilian disappear from view. He would have given chase, but even he had the sense to know it would only aggravate the situation further. He hadn't meant to react the way he did, but the news had shocked him and evoked emotions in him that he wished he didn't have.

* * *

The ROR president couldn't help but watch the scene play out. Almost every monster in the room did. He wasn't sure what was going on, all he saw was an extremely upset Randy walking out of the house with his head held low and Big Red attempting to call him back. A frown played on Johnny's lips and he made to go over to find out exactly what was going on.

"Not a good idea," Javier warned, quiet enough to only be heard by the horned monster.

"Don't care," Johnny muttered as he strode over towards his fellow fraternity president. Once reaching him, he tapped his shoulder to garner his attention. "What was that about?"

"Oh, uh… nothing. Don't worry about it," Big Red said sheepishly.

"Didn't seem like 'nothing' to me," he said, his frown remaining.

"Well it _was_ nothing," he huffed. "Anyway, why do _you_ care?" he asked suspiciously.

"I don't," he replied coolly, hiding his annoyance. "Just wanted to know what all the commotion was about."

"Well, like I said. Nothing you need to worry about."

"Alright then."

Johnny made his way back over to his own fraternity, ignoring the wondering looks on the faces of any monster who happened to witness the exchange. Javier gave him a look that seemed to say "I told you so", to which he merely rolled his eyes.

"Well, that was interesting," Johnny said casually.

"Wonder what got the little guy so upset?" Chip wondered aloud. "Must've been a big deal if it was Big Red who upset him."

"Hmm," Johnny hummed in response, not wholly happy with the situation nor the answer, or lack thereof, he'd gotten as to what had happened.

The other ROR members then resumed their small talk while Johnny and Javier silently watched the JOX go about their business, Big Red's brothers seemingly trying to give their president the third degree too.

"You didn't do yourself any favours there," Javier said quietly to Johnny, barely more than a whisper.

"I know, but I had to try and find out. Think I should follow Randy and try asking him?"

Javier shook his head. "Bad idea. If he's upset, the last thing he needs is to feel backed into a corner, especially by someone who already has him confused over his emotions. Assuming he does care for you as much as you think he does."

Johnny bit his lip, not liking feeling so powerless to help. "You're right," he sighed. "Still, I want to help. I just… don't know how."

Javier gave Johnny a quick pat on the shoulder. "He'll be fine. Despite appearances, we both know he's more than capable of taking care of himself."

He looked towards the door with a concerned expression. "I hope so."

Johnny continued to watch the door for a little while, hoping against the improbability that Randy might come back. Once sure that he wouldn't be returning, Johnny joined in with the conversation going on between the other RORs, the topic of choice being the upcoming football game against Fear Tech. He didn't appreciate the banter as much as he usually would have, his mind plagued with questions as to what had just transpired between Randy and the closest friend he had, bar Mike.

* * *

Randy walked into his dorm room, finding Mike studying at his desk. Mike turned to him, slightly surprised. "You're back early," Mike said a little too cheerfully for his roommate's mood. "What happened?"

The purple monster just sighed and made his way to the bed, not really wanting to explain it all. This only made Mike more concerned. The green monster got up from his seat and sat on his own bed, facing Randy. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Randy, who had buried his face in his pillow, looked up to meet his roommate's gaze, tears forming in his eyes. "I think I've blown it, Mike."

"What do you mean?" Mike's expression changed from that of concern to anger. "Did that Worthington creep do something to you?"

"No, no, it's not that Mike…" Randy trailed off, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He choked back a sob before continuing. "It's Big Red. He found out about my sexuality and… I don't think he accepts it."

"Oh." Mike was at a loss. He hadn't ever known someone put in this position, and for once didn't have the perfect speech to give. "I'm sorry Randy," he said sadly.

Randy stayed silent, tears slowly falling from his eyes. He wasn't exactly sure what to say either.

"Are… are you sure?" Mike asked, feeling the need to try and say something reassuring. "Did he say that exactly?"

"Well, no, he didn't say it. But the way he acted said it all really."

"You're sure? It wasn't just where he was shocked?"

Randy thought for a moment, slowly shaking his head sadly. "No, there was definitely more to it. See, he always has this habit of giving me a slap on the back, a bit too hard mind you," he managed to chuckle before frowning again. "When he found out, he was about to do that again, trying to reassure me. But before he did, he just… took his hand away. I might as well have been a human child with how quickly he backed away."

"Oh. I see." He paused for a moment before a question came to him. "He does realise Johnny's bisexual too, right?"

"Probably," Randy shrugged. "I doubt there's a monster on campus who doesn't know by now. Unless they're a reclusive shut-in like you," he chuckled.

"Gee, thanks," Mike replied sarcastically, rolling his eye but smiling regardless.

"But this is different. Johnny's not one of _them_. I am. Or… I was…" he trailed off sadly.

The two sat in silence again. Randy then turned away, climbing under his duvet. "Sorry Mike, I just wanna get some sleep."

"Sure thing buddy," he said. "My lamp isn't gonna bother you, is it?"

"No, it's fine."

Not knowing what else to say, Mike hopped off his bed and made his way back to his desk. He picked up his book and continued reading where he'd left off.

After a moment's silence Randy let out a deep sigh before speaking up again. "You were right Mike; the party life wasn't for me."

Mike wasn't sure what to do or say. He knew he'd argued Randy should be spending more time studying, but this isn't how he wanted his poor roommate to learn that lesson.

"Things'll get better," Mike said. "It might take the whole semester, but when the other monsters see what you can do, there's gonna be no-one who doesn't know your name."

Although Mike couldn't see, Randy smiled slightly at this, regaining just a small flicker of hope. "I hope so," he said quietly before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: ATTENTION ALL READERS! This is a call to arms. Whether or not you've reviewed or PMed me in the past, I want your opinion. I wanted to make at least a small part of this story reader-influenced, so my question for all of you is simple: What exactly _is_ Big Red's problem? Is it exactly as it seems? Or is there more to it? I've got a few ideas of how to take the story, so I want to know how best all of you feel it is to take it. If for whatever reason you don't want to leave a review, that's fine, just shoot me a quick PM. I'm interested to see what you all want to become of the friendship between Randy and Roy. Don't feel rushed, it'll probably be a few chapters before Big Red reappears now anyway.**

**On a quick side note, oh man this chapter was difficult. I'm still not entirely sure how well I pulled off the big bust-up scene, but I hope it seemed convincing to you all. And now, because I couldn't hold myself off any longer before posting this chapter, this means I've given myself two days max to get another chapter up. Woohoo! ^_^ Hope you all enjoyed.**


	9. Chapter 8: Distraction

**A/N: Wow, thank you everyone who's responded so far to the question I posed last chapter. I received an overwhelming response, and it really warms the heart to see so many people enthused with the story. Don't worry, it's not too late to give me an answer (should you want to, of course). I'd say a couple weeks at least until Big Red reappears in the story.**

**Sorry this chapter's a day late everyone, projects are keeping me nice and busy unfortunately. For that reason, I doubt there will be a mid-week update like I've been trying to keep to, so it's back to the original once-a-weekend deal for a while.**

**Thank you all for reading, and hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Randy awoke with an uneasy feeling, his eyes sore as though he'd spent a good portion of the night crying. For the briefest of moments he couldn't think of why this would be before memories of last night's party came flooding to him. Sighing sadly, he slowly climbed out of bed. Looking over to the bed opposite, he saw his roommate sleeping.

Despite feeling differently the night previous, he desperately wanted to talk about the party last night but felt it unfair to wake up Mike so early. He settled on taking his usual normal walk, hoping he might at least organise his thoughts along the way.

Making his way silently from his dorm room to the exit leading out onto the campus, the young reptilian took a breath of fresh air. As he began to walk along the quad, he silently wondered if he might bump into Johnny. He realised it was unlikely, as over the course of two weeks it had only happened once, an early morning jog not seeming to be a common activity for the fraternity president. Still, Randy hoped that there might be a chance that he would. No matter what they may feel about each other, Johnny was still pleasant to talk to, and was likely to have come across his own fair share of criticism for his sexuality despite his popularity. Perhaps the senior would be able to reassure him, lend him a sympathetic ear whilst also being able to fully understand the problem.

As he made his usual route around the campus, he found that for the first time he wasn't taking in the architecture or landscaping of the campus, but rather looking out for the one monster he now realised he wanted to talk to most. The early mornings would be Randy's only real chance to seek the senior out without the presence of his fraternity brothers, as he doubted he would want to attend a party anytime soon.

Unsurprisingly, Randy happened across no other monster for the whole hour he'd been walking, and had now made his way back to the dormitories. Once reaching his room, and noting Mike still hadn't awoken, Randy sat on his bed, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes for lack of anything better to do. He realised that spending the whole walk looking for Johnny hadn't allowed him to focus on the thoughts he'd decided to arrange.

'The rise and fall of Randy Boggs,' he thought cynically. 'Guess Mike was right in the end. I reached out for fire and got burned. But it wasn't Johnny that burned me. And it wasn't because of my major.'

He sighed sadly to himself, unsure if he was correct in his initial judgement of Big Red's reaction. All signs _seemed_ to point to the JOX president rejecting him due to his sexuality, but he felt he should have stayed behind to hear what Big Red could have offered in way of explanation.

'What's done is done,' he thought, a sad smile forming. 'Better to get the rejection out of the way now rather than later, before I got too close to them.'

Remembering something, the scaled monster scuttled towards his desk. He couldn't remember setting it down last night, but if anywhere, the card he was given by Sonia should be on his desk. Spotting it on top of his books, he read the small timetable on its reverse, noting he had missed the most recent LGBT meeting yesterday. They seemed to meet every Friday and Sunday afternoon, so perhaps he could look forward to his first meeting tomorrow.

For now, he settled on studying a little whilst his roommate slept. He was hoping to fill the day with practicing his abilities with Mike later on.

* * *

Sitting at his desk, Johnny put the finishing touches to his project. Writing his final conclusion to the report in his usual meticulously neat penmanship, he sighed in relief as he blotted the last full stop.

'Now that that's finished, I can get a head start on the other project,' Johnny thought to himself.

He looked over to the clock, noting it hadn't yet rolled over to the 7th hour. He tapped his pen to his chin, wondering if he should start the project now or try to get a little more sleep. He'd been unsuccessful in sleeping well thus far, his mind far too consumed with worries about Randy. Javier had tried his best to convince him the freshman would be fine, but nothing would quell his concerns without knowing exactly what the problem was.

Resigning himself to the fact that the only person he'd be able to get this information from was Randy himself, which he was unable to do having promised himself to keep his distance, he decided to at least draw up an outline for his project. Shuffling his papers and setting them aside along with the books he had relevant to Scaring Trends, he grabbed a book based on Portal Connectivity. He needed to decide on a few final design considerations for the door he had been building over the past year.

Flicking to certain page numbers he'd memorised and taking a few notes, he found most of what he needed for now. Deciding another book might be required for the finishing touches, he settled on taking the fraternity over to the library again today.

He looked over to the clock and sighed much more audibly, seeing only fourteen minutes had passed. Moving away from his desk, he walked to the far side of the room, gazing out the window. He wondered if Randy was still in the habit of touring the campus during the early mornings and looked out to see if he could spot the freshman. He saw a few monsters walking about, but none matching the one he was looking for. Thinking that, with the sun already half-risen, it was probably too late to spot him, he made his way downstairs to settle on the couch, flicking the TV on to watch the news, waiting for when the first of his brothers would awake.

* * *

"Again."

"Sorry Mike, I just don't seem to be getting this."

"Don't apologise. I've been reading up on this, it's supposed to be incredibly difficult to master. Most monsters with the ability to blend can't control it until they're in their early twenties, y'know?"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. So don't worry about it. You actually came close, so that in itself is pretty impressive."

It was mid-afternoon, and Randy had spent the past two hours trying to control his ability to maintain his camouflage whilst moving. He had no problems blending into his surroundings whilst standing still, but the continual shift in his scale patterns was much more difficult and physically demanding, and the young reptilian was starting to become frustrated with his inability to master it.

"Even still," Randy said, his confidence faltering. "I need to get the hang of this by the time the finals come. I'm not sure if I can."

"Don't worry," Mike said reassuringly. "The finals are still two and a half months away. You've only been practicing this for two weeks now, on only two days in fact, and you're almost there already. Trust me when I say this, you'll have no trouble mastering it in time."

"Th-thanks Mike," he said, his smile returning.

"No problem. Now c'mon, just give it one more try. And remember, only your scales change colour. Memorise your path, and keep your eyes and mouth closed."

Randy nodded and walked back towards the window. Mike was watching from his bed, making sure to keep a straight path clear along the length of the room. Randy gauged the distance from the window to the door, took a deep breath, and blended into his surroundings. He closed his eyes and mouth, got down on all-eights, and crawled his way to the door. Once he was sure he'd travelled the correct distance, he opened his eyes, seeing the door just an inch away from his face. He unblended, reappearing into clear view, and turned to his roommate.

"How was that?" he asked hopefully.

"Not too bad," Mike beamed. "You've certainly got your depth-perception down, there were just a couple of small mistakes I spotted. You didn't quite manage to blend with the chair at your desk or your trunk over there," he said, pointing to the items as they were mentioned.

"Oh," Randy said, his smile dropping again.

Mike laughed. "I keep telling ya, you're doing great! It was just two items in the room, you blended perfectly with the floorboards and everything else. I'm sure that isn't easy. You're coming along great. Couple more weeks and you should have it perfect."

Randy beamed at this. "Wow, you really think I can have this down by the end of the month?"

"Then or just the weekend after, yeah."

"Wow." Randy dared himself to marvel at his own skill. He knew most of the thanks went to Mike, whether it was for instruction or just overall encouragement. He couldn't have made all this progress alone.

"You're gonna impress them for sure when the finals come around, trust me."

Randy then looked thoughtful for a moment. "What about you, Mike? We've been working on my blending ability this whole time. Don't you want to practice your scaring techniques too?"

"Oh, I've been doing that all week," Mike said cheerily. "I'm pretty sure I've got most of the basics down now. I think we should study some more on our history." He briefly gazed out the window and smiled when he seemed to find what he was looking for. "How about a breath of fresh air?" he asked, turning back to Randy.

"Sure," Randy replied, smiling. He did have a slight concern though. Although he didn't doubt Mike had been practicing his techniques, he had yet to actually see them. He wasn't sure why that was, but he soon shrugged the thought off as Mike made his way to the door.

"C'mon, let's go before someone takes up a spot under our tree."

Randy followed Mike, happy that his day was being filled so readily with the distraction he wanted from last night.

* * *

"Library today guys," Johnny called out cheerily once all the members had gathered in the living space, having eaten lunch. "I need a book on Advanced Doorknobs, and I'm sure we could use the opportunity to get your projects finished," he said, gesturing to Chet and Javier.

Chet and Javier nodded enthusiastically, while Chip and Reggie murmured in agreement. Sulley simply sighed.

Johnny ignored the silent protest from their newest member and ushered everyone out. Making their way down Frat Row, the RORs began talking enthusiastically about their studies. All except Sulley, that is.

"Johnny!" a voice called out.

Johnny stopped and turned to see Carrie Williams bounding gracefully towards the group. "Ah, Miss Williams. And what can I do for you this fine day?"

Carrie giggled and rolled her eyes. "Ever the gentleman." She then took on a more serious expression. "Have you heard the news? Omega Howl have dropped out of the Scare Games this year. They won't be signing up."

Johnny cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really? I hadn't heard that yet. Is there another fraternity or sorority looking to take their place?"

Carrie shook her head. "Not that we know of, no. There were talks of Gamma Roar Roar possibly joining, but they're still two members short. Who knows? Maybe we'll be making do with only five teams this year."

Johnny looked slightly disappointed. "That's a shame. We had a much higher turnout last year. Nine teams down to five. The Games won't last quite as long this year."

"Well, it does give us more time to study, I suppose," Carrie mused.

"That is true. With it being our senior year, I guess that does work to our advantage." He then turned to his fraternity, all of whom were waiting patiently, before turning back to Carrie with a smile. "I'm afraid I have to go, we have a date with the library this afternoon. I'll see you around." He added the last part with a wink.

Carrie giggled before walking back to her sorority house. "Sure thing Johnny. Bye guys!" she added, waving to the others.

Johnny waved her off before turning back to his brothers. Spotting a questioning gaze on Sulley's face, he explained. "That was Carrie Williams, president of Python Nu Kappa. They're usually the ones on par with us for keeping up-to-date with current affairs on campus. We usually scope each other out to exchange any new info before anyone else."

Sulley looked back in the direction Carrie set off. "Certainly a lively one, isn't she?"

"You don't know the half of it," Johnny smirked, to which the other RORs chuckled.

The high spirits didn't last long though. With Sulley and Johnny walking ahead of the others, they were the first to spot what was now becoming a familiar sight. They both sighed and muttered in disgust, seeing Mike and Randy studying together in the spot they seemed to claim increasingly often, laughing together as they talked.

"Can't believe he's still trying," Sulley said.

"He'll learn soon enough," Johnny replied. He kept his gaze on them a little longer, watching Randy with interest before narrowing his eyes at the sight of Mike. He then turned away, realising he was beginning to develop an unhealthy habit. 'I'm not actually _jealous_ of the little green guy, am I?' he thought. He dismissed this, settling on being happy for the fact that Randy seemed in better spirits than last night.

Shaking it off, he led the RORs into the library. Before venturing too far in, he turned to his brothers with an eager look on his face. "Does everyone know what they want to accomplish today?"

The others all nodded, setting off in different directions, presumably to find different books. Sulley lingered behind.

"How about you, Big Blue? Should be too early for freshmen to have assignments, but do you have any homework to be getting on with?"

Sulley merely shrugged. "I don't think so."

"Well, anything in particular you plan to study today?"

Sulley shrugged again, which was starting to irritate the frat president.

"Sul, you've gotta have some idea of where your weaknesses are. You should know of at least something you need to improve on."

Sulley noticed the annoyance Johnny was beginning to express and decided on saying something to placate him. "Guess I could study a bit more history."

"Atta boy," the senior replied, giving Sulley a pat on the back. "You go do that, I'll be with you all in a bit."

Watching Sulley walk off in the direction of the first-year Scaring books, Johnny made his own way to the Door Technology books. Trailing his eyes along the shelves, he spotted a book that might be of use for later reference, Specifications of Design. Picking it up, he next came across a few books based on his topic of choice, Advanced Doorknobs, and picked up the two most recently updated books.

He made his way over to the tables in the centre of the library where Chet and Javier had already set up. Chet raised a claw and waved frantically to him.

"Over here Johnny!" Chet called in the quietest voice he could manage, which wasn't helped by his enthusiasm.

Johnny raised a finger to his lips, nodding his head and giving a quick glance over to the librarian who, thankfully, hadn't seemed to notice. Setting his books on the desk, he took a seat next to Chet. "You know I can see you, right? There's no need to be so loud. You remember what happened last time?"

"And the time before that," Javier snorted.

"And the time before that," Chet chuckled. "I think I've been thrown out of here at least twenty times. That is crazy!"

Johnny shushed him again. "Chet, really, a little self-control."

"I'm sowwy boss," he said, calming down.

"It's alright," he replied before turning to his books. "Give me twenty minutes with these and I'll be with you two to help your projects along."

"OK," Chet said, while Javier offered a nod.

Johnny flipped open the two books, finding the few facts and figures he needed to complete his door design. Whilst scribbling these down in a notebook, Chip, Reggie and Sulley re-joined the group.

Chip and Reggie started studying from their chosen books, but Sulley just set the book on the desk and slouched in his chair.

"So, when's the next party?" Sulley asked.

Johnny just growled in response, his patience wearing incredibly thin.

"OK, OK," Sulley said before opening his book, resting his head on a fist with a huff.

Once finished with his own books, Johnny set them aside along with his notebook and pulled his chair closer to Chet. "Right, what's going on with this?"

"Well, I was talking with Javier about his project, and I think I have the same problem. Well, kinda. See, there was a big increase here," he emphasised, pointing to a particular figure in his book with a claw. "But I can't find anything that explains it."

"Let's have a look," Johnny said, pulling the book closer to him. Noting the listed year, he began flicking through the book to find anything related. Finding nothing, he passed the book back. "Looks like we're heading off to the history books," he told Chet.

"OK then," he said excitedly.

The two stood from their seats and made their way over to the history section. Johnny spotted a few books of interest. He grabbed the two that were in reach, but the other was on the very top shelf.

"Chet, grab the ladder for me," he said.

"OK boss," he said, finding a ladder at the other end of the bookshelf. Carefully sliding it along, he brought it to Johnny.

Johnny climbed the first two rungs before turning to Chet. "Hold it steady for me," he said, to which the crab-like monster nodded compliantly, holding either side of the ladder in his claws. As Johnny climbed, the ladder began to wobble a little. "Steadier," he barked.

"Sowwy," Chet said, making sure to get a tighter grip on the ladder.

Johnny shook his head and sighed. He had a bad feeling about this, but decided to continue anyway. Once at the top, he reached out for the book, only for the ladder to wobble again. Johnny retracted his hand to return his grip to the ladder, knocking the book off the shelf. He winced, knowing it wasn't a particularly light book. "Chet, the book!" he called.

"Huh?" Chet said, apparently not paying attention to either the ladder or his leader. He looked up just in time to see the book fall past him, landing on the floor with a loud thud that echoed throughout the large building.

Johnny slapped a hand to his forehead. He knew what was coming, and didn't have enough time to descend the ladder and run off. "What were you even doing?" he called angrily.

"Oh, I saw this book here and thought it might be useful," he said bashfully, pointing to the opposite shelf.

Johnny was about to comment that it could have waited until after, but a large grey tentacle wrapping around his midsection cut him off, causing him to gasp in horror.

"Quiet," came the ominous voice of the librarian, who had now grabbed both Johnny and Chet, holding her glasses to her eyes to get a better look at the two.

"Here we go," Johnny muttered.

The two were promptly lifted out of the sun roof of the library and thrown out. They both fell through a tree, a branch of which Johnny managed to grab as he watched Chet tumble into the stream below. Johnny took a quick look around the campus, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw there were no monsters around to witness what had just happened. He eased himself down the tree, landing on the grass below.

"Way to go Chet," he called, watching the crab-like monster stumble his way out of the stream. "What did I say about having a bit of self-control?"

"Sowwy boss," he said, placing his soaked cap back on his head. "I was just trying to be helpful."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, waving the apology off. "Three years and I've never once been thrown out of there. I'm not about to get caught now. Let's just get back in there and get the books we need. We can study back at the frat house."

"OK."

"And Chet?"

"Yeah Johnny?"

"Listen to the librarian for once. Stay quiet, for all our sakes."

"OK."

The two made their way back into the library, taking care not to be spotted by the librarian. The other RORs chuckled a bit as they spotted them, Johnny sending them a death glare which did nothing to stop the laughter.

"Grab your books, we're going back to the house," Johnny muttered miserably.

The purple-furred monster grabbed his books, the other RORs following suit. He swiftly made his way back to the bookshelf he'd been ejected from, spotting the book still lying on the floor. He picked it up and, after checking out the books, he made his way out of the library quicker than the others, not wanting to be caught again.

"Scared?"

Johnny's fur bristled and he whirled around, wondering who dared insult him. Finding it was Javier, who had been second to leave and was now standing behind the ROR president, he relaxed slightly before jumping on the defensive.

"No, I'm not scared of her. I just don't want to be thrown out again. Do you have any idea what it would do to our reputation if I was actually _seen_ being evicted?"

Javier crossed both pairs of his arms, smirking; the epitome of an I-don't-believe-you face if ever there was one.

"Alright fine," he huffed. "She scares the shit out of me. Who wouldn't be scared?"

Javier chuckled, patting Johnny on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I agree. There's no shame in it. At least you didn't scream."

"Pfft, right, like _that_ would happen."

Chet came out next, chuckling at some sort of joke that he had most likely told himself.

"Then again, it's probably weirder to actually _enjoy_ being thrown out," Javier said, laughing along with Johnny when Chet looked to them with a confused expression.

"What?" Chet asked, desperate to be in on the joke.

"Nothing, Chet," Johnny said, smiling warmly.

"Oh, OK. Hey, did you get the book that, uh… I made you drop…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yes Chet, all taken care of," Johnny replied, patting the pile of books he was carrying under an arm.

"Yes!" Chet shouted, apparently having adjusted his mental volume knob automatically the moment he stepped outside the library. "This project's gonna be much easier now!"

"Should be," Johnny said before turning to Javier. "How about you Jav? How's yours coming?"

"Hmm… better," he shrugged. "Could use a hand if you're able to. After Chet, that is."

"That's what today's for."

"Cool."

The three awaited the other half of ROR, talking about their projects. Johnny couldn't help but smile; just like Randy he'd found the perfect distraction from his thoughts of last night.

"Enjoy the ride?" Reggie laughed as he walked out the library, Sulley and Chip flanking him at the exit.

Chet laughed at this while Johnny groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Remind me to stock the frat's library with engineering books," Johnny muttered. "Then we can avoid this whole fiasco in future…"

"How about we just lock Chet in the house next time?" Javier offered.

"Hey…" Chet whined. "That's not fair."

"Not fair, but a good idea," Chip pitched in.

The others all laughed before Chet eventually joined in, realising his mistake was being laughed off rather than punished.

"Alright guys, let's get going," Johnny said. "I don't know about all of you, but I'm actually looking forward to getting both of my projects finished early."

"You finished your other one already?" Chet exclaimed in amazement.

"Just this morning," he replied with a smirk.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"Sure, sure," Johnny said, trying to dismiss it before more praise inevitably came gushing from his crab-like friend.

The fraternity president led the way back towards the ROR house, a smile on his face. Today was turning out to be a good day, overall. He hoped the scene he'd witnessed earlier meant the same held true for Randy.


	10. Chapter 9: Reassurance

**A/N: Just a _tad_ bit late with this one, so I do apologise. Hopefully shouldn't happen again as long as my workload stays light.**

**So... yeah, I'm sorry for this one. I'm giving Randy just that little touch of a tragic backstory (it's all for a good reason). But I'm hoping the mood lightens as the chapter goes on. The chapter's a little on the short side, but honestly I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to write here without literally stitching the next chapter to it.**

**And remember, it's still not too late to give me your idea for Big Red. Should be... 2 or 3 chapters time, I think, where it'll come into play. So by all means, send me a PM if you haven't already.**

**As always, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

A full day's studying was followed by an early night's sleep, and as Randy bid Mike a good night, he sighed contentedly, happy with how the day had gone. The darkness of sleep consumed him surprisingly quickly, but as fate would have it, his happiness wouldn't last the night.

Randy's dreams were hazy, disjointed and seemingly random. But they all had one common, underlying theme; fear. His fear. The memories flashed through his dreams in a fast-paced sequence, presenting a chronological summary of all the bullying and rejection he'd suffered in his life since high school.

_ The bullies at his high school were beating him, calling him derogatory names. He was the only reptilian monster in the town, and he'd be made fun of for his blending reflex when he was scared._

_ The beatings became worse, more frequent, and the teachers became less willing to do anything about it. No-one stood in his corner, not even his friends, who'd abandoned him for fear of being bullied too._

_ He was brought home after a particularly savage beating, the last one he'd ever receive with graduation soon coming up. His parents turned his back on him, ignoring his pleas for someone to just hold him, support him, tell him everything would be alright._

_ It was graduation day. His parents were absent. No other family member had offered to take their place. He was one of the top students in his year and had been commended highly for many extra-curricular activities. No-one cared, it seemed._

_ The atmosphere brightened, the bus he was riding on pulled up outside the gates of Monsters University. He disembarked and took a deep breath in; a fresh start. He'd make new friends, he'd build a support network around him, and he wouldn't dare give anyone a reason to leave him again._

_In a flash he was in his dorm room, talking to Mike for the first time. Then suddenly he was at his first college party. He was talking to Johnny, and then to Big Red. He was at another party, playing ping pong against Javier. The crowds around him chanted his name and he finally felt accepted. He was shaking hands with Javier, then talking to several monsters he hadn't remembered the names of. He was talking to Sonia, and then Big Red once again._

_ The atmosphere suddenly darkened. Big Red was holding a card, looking in what Randy thought was disgust. The room dissolved around him and everything was dark. Several monsters appeared before him; all the monsters he'd made friends with or spoken to so far in college. Mike, Johnny, Javier, Big Red, the JOX brothers, Sonia, Javier and Chip all stood with their backs to him. Not one of them turned to face him, despite how desperately he called out to them. They all began to walk away, all except one. Mike stayed on the spot, still refusing to turn to him. Randy called out, louder and louder, tears overtaking him as his cries became desperate, pleading for at least __**someone**__ to turn and face him._

_ Finally, after a few more moments, Mike began to turn around. Randy could have laughed with the relief that washed over him. But as Mike turned to face Randy, there was something decidedly odd. The green monster's usual enthusiasm was gone; there was no smile, nor frown. His face was expressionless, cold._

_ "M-Mike?" Randy stuttered, a feeling of unease replacing his happiness._

_ "You are destined to be alone," Mike replied, no hint of emotion in his voice. "No-one will ever accept you. No-one will ever love you. You are worthless. If your parents can see it, any other monster will too. You cannot fool them, you cannot fool yourself. No success will ever be good enough, no accomplishment will ever be grand enough. You are a failure, and you always will be. No-one will want to know you. You will live life alone."_

_ "N-no, you're wr-wrong," Randy cried. "I-I'm not a failure. I'll make something of myself. I'll make my parents proud one day. I will!"_

_ "Failure, failure, failure," Mike began chanting, soon joined by all the other monsters present previously._

_ "No. __**No**__!" Randy cried out. "You're wrong! You're all __**wrong**__!"_

_ "Failure, failure, failure," the chanting continued, Randy's parents now appearing at the front of the group, sneering._

_ "No, please, stop it. __**Stop it**__!" Randy cried out, the anguish overwhelming him. "Please…"_

_ Randy turned to run away, but the voices followed him, remaining just as close. He didn't dare look back, but continued running away from the figures that were tormenting him. Above all others, his parents' voices started becoming louder and louder, almost deafening him with the shame he'd once felt. Still he ran, crying out for the voices to stop. His desperation to get away only made the nightmare worse, to the point where it was becoming unbearable, but still the voices persisted, becoming louder than anything else he'd ever heard._

_ He tripped and began frantically scrabbling to his feet, failing to do so. He closed his eyes and covered his ears as best he could, desperate for the dream to end._

* * *

"Randy. Randy!"

Randy awoke with a start, pushing aside the mass that was next to him. He gulped in air and looked to his right, finding Mike on the floor staring wide-eyed at him, his breathing almost as rapid as the reptilian's own.

"M-Mike?" Randy said warily, almost expecting him to continue the chant from his dream. He knew it was silly, of course, but to him the dream had felt so _real_.

"Randy, you scared me there buddy," Mike said, climbing to his feet. "Are you OK?"

As relief overcame him, Randy simply burst into tears, unable to rationalise his thoughts. Somewhat expecting this, Mike simply sat next to Randy again, putting an arm around his shoulders to comfort him.

"It's OK," Mike said soothingly. "It was just a dream."

"N-No, it wasn't," Randy sniffed once his sobs began to die down. "It was… memories of before."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Randy sighed as finally his crying came to a stop. "No, not really. But…" he trailed off, pondering what exactly he did want. "Could you just talk to me for a bit? About anything you want. I just… want to talk about something else."

"OK, uh…" Mike paused in thought, not sure what to talk about. "How about Vocal Study?"

Randy couldn't help but laugh. "Really Mike? I need cheering up and all you can think to talk about is our studies?"

"What?" Mike said innocently. "Not my fault I'm terrible at conversation starters."

Randy laughed again, shaking his head. "Fine, fine. Go on, what chapter did you want to talk about?"

Mike lit up. "How about chapter five? I've been struggling a bit with hissing, the Cobra Hiss more specifically, and I figured you could help me since… uh…"

"I'm a reptile?" Randy said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes…?" Mike said slowly, phrasing it as a question in order to make his judgement appear as innocent as possible.

Randy promptly face-palmed and shook his head. "Now I see why you don't go out much," he said, betraying what should have been annoyance with an amused chuckle. "Alright, well, let's get some more light in here and I'll show you my trick to it."

"Nice!" Mike said, promptly flicking the switch to the dorm room's lights.

Once light flooded the room, Randy climbed out of bed and stood opposite Mike.

"OK, well here's how I do it…"

* * *

11:09 in the morning. Johnny couldn't believe it. Usually he'd never sleep in this late, even after a party.

He stretched out his limbs and climbed out of bed, making his way downstairs. "Morning," he called out as he passed the living space, not looking to see who was there.

"Morning Johnny!" he heard a few voices call back.

Reaching the kitchen and setting some bread into the toaster, he leaned back against the counter and sighed. He had no idea why, but he felt more tired this morning than usual. 'Probably not used to getting so much sleep,' he thought to himself. He poured himself a cup of coffee, promising himself he'd return for at least two more before leaving the house, and made his way to the living area with the cup and a plate of toast.

"How long you guys been up then?" he asked as he took a seat on the couch next to Javier.

"A couple hours now, I think," Chip said from across the room.

"Why didn't one of you wake me?"

"We figured you needed your beauty sleep for once," Javier teased. "Didn't seem to work though," he added, gesturing to Johnny's scruffy morning fur, earning a chuckle from the others.

"Ha, ha, very funny," he replied, taking a bite of toast. "Hey, I was thinking of re-joining that club this year," he said, turning to Javier.

"Which one?" he asked.

"You know the one," he chuckled.

"¡Ay dios mío!" the bug-like monster cried in exasperation. "Are you crazy? You _do_ remember why you were thrown out, don't you?"

"Relax, I hear there's a new president of the club this year. One of the HSS girls, apparently."

Javier noted the slight play of a smile on his leader's lips and sighed, shaking his head. "You're not just going for the same reason as last time, are you?"

"No, of course not," he chuckled. "Still, eye-candy's eye-candy, right?"

"So why are you going?"

"Well, no real reason. Just thought I'd try and actually take part this time."

"Johnny, I'm warning you," Javier said sternly. "You need to give him space."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

"Look, how do you even know Boggs is gonna be there? He's not my motive behind _everything_ y'know."

"Boggs?" Javier repeated, cocking an eyebrow. "Since when has it been _Boggs_? It's usually Randy this, Randy that…"

"So I happened to use his surname," Johnny shrugged.

"You're trying to play it off. Johnny, I keep telling you-"

"Step off, Jav," Johnny growled. "If he just so happens to be there, then all I want to do is clear the air, make sure he's alright. If not, then I actually _do_ want to take part in the club this time."

Javier sighed in frustration. "Fine. But if it all comes back to bite you in the ass, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Don't worry, it won't," he replied, smirking.

"Aún estás loco."

"Yeah, yeah," Johnny muttered, his smirk only growing.

* * *

He'd passed by the room three times now, he thought. In trying to find the correct room for the meeting, Randy had travelled through the same hall just as many times. Finally settling on the fact that he had the right room, he couldn't help but wonder why it looked so… ordinary. There was no flier or poster on the door, nothing to signify this was where a club meeting was to be held. He expected an LGBT club to be obnoxious, loud, in-your-face.

Unsure of what to expect, he slowly put his hand on the door handle, took a deep breath, and walked in. He was greeted by a room filled with only a small handful of monsters, much less than he'd expected. He wasn't sure why he expected there to be more, but was surprised nonetheless.

"Ah Randy!" came a familiar voice. "So glad you came."

Randy turned to the source of the voice, spotting Sonia at the front of the room behind a desk that would usually be reserved for one of the professors of a class.

"Sonia? Are you president of the club?" he ventured.

"Yes, I am. Did I not say the other night?"

"No," he replied. "But, um, congratulations?" He hadn't meant it to sound like a question, but he wasn't sure if this was news or not.

"Thanks," she giggled. "Anyway, take a seat wherever you like. We were just about to start."

Choosing a seat not too close nor too far from the other monsters, he sat and turned to face the front, interested in what the meeting was to entail.

"So then, first of all, thank you all for coming," Sonia said to the room, more cheerily than Randy had seen her before. "The business for today's meeting is to discuss the upcoming march in a couple of weeks' time, proposing themed parties and, of course, tonight's party at the RORs!"

Everyone else cheered at this last point, but Randy simply rolled his eyes. Still, he was interested in the other points. He'd never really known much about the LGBT lifestyle, before college his sexuality was something he'd kept to himself.

Randy listened as Sonia went over proposed plans for both students and alumni alike to team up to perform a march through downtown Monstropolis, celebrating their sexuality and campaigning for their rights. He was surprised he'd never heard of such a thing, especially when he learned it was a biannual event.

He then listened as the other monsters pitched ideas for themes they could use in parties that would be hosted by the club at both Frat Row and various other locations on campus. Although Randy had sworn off partying, for now at least, the idea was becoming tempting again, particularly when a Halloween party was strongly hinted at.

Unfortunately, the two topics only took up twenty minutes of the two hours the meeting was scheduled to last. The rest of the time was spent discussing tonight's party and the RORs in general. To Randy, it became a Johnny-fest, with the purple-furred monster being fawned over by the majority of the monsters in attendance. He promptly zoned out of the conversation, it being the last thing he wanted to hear considering both his conflicted emotions and the nightmare he'd had in the early hours that morning.

He did, however, catch small snippets of the conversation, snippets he really didn't want to hear. Apparently, Johnny had slept with at least one member from every fraternity and sorority on campus at one point or another, including his own, he'd slept with at least three different members of the school's faculty, and had even bedded three PNK members at once.

Just as Randy was becoming torn between either running from the room or vomiting, Sonia graciously cut into the conversation.

"OK, OK, that's more drooling over Worthington than _I_ can handle in one sitting, thank you very much," she said, rolling her eyes. She then looked up to the clock in the room, noting that the meeting was only half-way through the length she'd planned for. "Well, uh, this meeting went unusually quickly. I guess we'll wrap this up for today. Any questions?"

The room was silent, a few monsters looking apprehensive at the thought of being able to leave. The ones who hadn't been drooling over Johnny like a teenage schoolgirl, Randy noted.

"OK then, that'll do for today. See you all tonight, if not next week."

With that, many of the monsters left with just a few hanging back to talk amongst themselves. Randy himself quickly followed behind the monsters retreating from the room, the last topic having made him sick to his stomach. Still, there were a few things he'd learned, the most important being that there _was_ still at least one place he was welcome.

As he exited, he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he was out in the hall. Johnny was walking towards the room he'd just left, apparently late for the meeting. Panicking, Randy quickly backed up, hiding just around the corner further up the hall.

'What's he doing here?' Randy thought to himself. 'I thought he was banned!'

Knowing there was only one exit, and quickly thinking on his feet, Randy decided to blend into his surroundings to sneak past him undetected. He only hoped he'd perfected the ability enough.

Concentrating as hard as he could, the reptilian monster blended and began climbing the wall, thinking it safer to crawl across the ceiling so that there was no chance of a collision. He began crawling, rounding the corner to the hall he'd started in. He spotted Johnny approaching Sonia in the doorway to the room the meeting was held in. As much as he wanted to stay and eavesdrop on the conversation, he thought it best to continue on as quickly as possible, lest his camouflage fail. Still, he did try to catch as much of the conversation as possible.

"…you doing here, Worthington?"

"Just thought I'd drop by. See how the club's going."

"You know you were banned, right?"

"Yeah, but surely that doesn't apply now that you've taken over?" Johnny added a wink and a smirk as he said this.

"Well, just so happens we've finished the meeting. If you want to take part in future, do make sure to turn up on time."

"Will do. So, you all heading to the party tonight?"

"We just might be," she said with a smile.

The rest of the conversation was lost on Randy as he made it to the end of the hall. Climbing down to the floor and seeing there were no other monsters in sight, Randy figured it would be safe to reappear. He then swiftly made his way out.

It wasn't until he started on his walk back to the dorm that he started to question why he went to such lengths to avoid Johnny. It was probably unlikely Johnny would have wanted to speak to him anyway. Sighing, he refocused on the task that would soon be at hand; in return for the 'rude' awakening Randy had promised Mike more studying and practicing Scare techniques tonight. It was just as well, there was no party going on that held Randy's interest, after all.

* * *

"Did he just..?" Sonia trailed off, too stunned to continue.

"Yes, he did," Johnny said, eyebrows raised in astonishment. "Interesting…"

"I've heard some monsters have the ability, but… I've never seen it before. I'd have never expected Randy to have it."

"Well, for whatever reason he's clearly been trying to keep it a secret." Johnny turned back to Sonia. "We should probably respect his wishes and keep it that way."

"Agreed," Sonia said simply.

"Until tonight?"

"Until tonight."

Johnny dismissed himself and trailed his way out of the building. His suggestion to keep this new fact a secret wasn't so much for Randy's want of secrecy, but rather for his own. This was something he'd be keeping an eye out for and he had no doubt Randy would be trying to use this ability in his scaring. 'No wonder he's so confident in succeeding,' Johnny thought to himself.

Looking around, he saw no sign of the reptilian monster. Realising it was probably less to do with Randy's ability and more to do with his want to avoid the senior, Johnny sighed sadly. 'I must have upset him pretty badly,' he thought sombrely.

Deciding not to dwell on it too long, and being too occupied with thoughts of the ability he'd just witnessed, Johnny made his way back to the ROR house to prepare for the party. He didn't expect Randy to be there, but inwardly hoped that one day he would be again.


	11. Chapter 10: Exposure

**A/N: I've had a bit of a creative flurry this week, so as well as a new story, I have a mid-week update for this one. The chapter is slightly shorter again, so I hope to make up for it this weekend.**

**Hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

Another week of classes passed by uneventfully. There was one highlight, however, in Scaring 101 on a Wednesday afternoon. Mike had, once again, spent most of the class answering all the questions Professor Knight asked correctly before Sulley had had enough and attempted guessing one too. He'd gotten it wrong, earning a few chuckles from most of the students present. Despite his popularity, it seemed the other monsters on campus were just as willing to laugh at his misfortune as much as Mike and Randy were. The blue and purple monster earned himself a lecture at the end of class on responsibility and the importance of studying; apparently the question he'd answered incorrectly should have been fairly basic.

Other than that, the week had flown by for the reptilian monster. Studying outside of class, no extra-curricular activities to distract him or his roommate, and no run-ins with Johnny or the RORs. There was one thing that struck Randy, however. Mike had been spending his classes sitting by other monsters and seemed to be getting on well with them. Apparently his knowledge was quite an asset, and he was slowly beginning to grow in popularity. Randy couldn't help but feel a little rejected, but he was happy at least that his roommate was making other friends.

Randy himself had, of course, spent most of his classes sitting amongst other monsters too, but unfortunately lacked the confidence to strike up any kind of conversation with them. Instead, he'd spend the classes either listening intently on whichever professor was lecturing the class, or burying his face in the book from which they were studying. He was sure it would only be a matter of time before he started coming out of his shell, though. After all, he figured if Mike could do it, there was no reason he couldn't.

It was now a Friday afternoon. With the third week of classes having now come to a close, Randy made his way back to his dorm room. He was deep in thought, debating whether or not to attend the LGBT meeting that afternoon now that it was likely Johnny also would be. On the one hand, his emotions were still conflicted as to both how he felt about the senior, and how he _should_ feel about him. On the other, Randy didn't want Johnny to be the sole reason he stopped going to something he actually enjoyed.

Sighing as the thoughts swam through his mind, Randy's attention was caught by something odd about the door to his dorm room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something large posted in the metal cage attached to the door. 'Weird,' Randy thought to himself. 'Isn't the mail usually kept downstairs?'

Turning to see what it was, he found a large hardback book bound in red leather. It had golden writing along the spine which, upon closer inspection, read the words 'Mastery of Camouflage'.

The scaled monster was completely taken aback by this. He quickly looked both ways down the hall as though he would find who'd put the book there, only realising how silly a notion that was when he found no-one. Taking the book he quickly made his way into the room.

Setting the book on his desk, he took a seat and gazed upon it. He only had one monster in mind as to who could have left this book for him, but since he shared this very room with him, it wouldn't make sense for the book to be left outside. But then, who else could it have been?

A cold realisation came over him. There were only two other occasions he could have possibly been caught using his ability by anyone other than Mike. The first was when first moving in, but if it had taken so long for anything to come of it, he doubted it would have been then. The second was just last week. Despite being sure he wouldn't be caught, there were two monsters that could possibly have seen him. Sonia… and Johnny.

He ran through the day in his head. He was sure there were no other monsters in the hall that day, but one thing stuck out to him. When he climbed down from the wall and unblended, he didn't turn to check the two monsters were still busy talking to each other.

Cursing his stupidity, he decided to open the book which, he now noted, matched the colours of Johnny's fraternity. Looking on the inside cover, he saw something had been stamped on the first page. Unsurprisingly, the stamp read 'Property of ROR'. The book was indeed left by Johnny, most likely belonging to the ROR house library.

'But… why?' Randy thought to himself. 'If he knows about my ability, why is he helping me?' He thought back to the many times they'd bumped into each other before remembering the early morning confrontation they'd had two weeks previous. There was one thing Johnny had said that could answer his question.

'I don't believe he'll make it, but if I'm to be perfectly honest… I kinda hope you do.'

Closing the book again, Randy lingered on the sentence he remembered as clearly as if it had been spoken mere moments ago. Perhaps Johnny really had spoken the truth, he wanted Randy to succeed. He still wasn't sure why, though. After all, he'd shown no support towards Mike; quite the opposite in fact, so why was it he wanted Randy to succeed when he'd shown little belief he could?

Randy sighed and then growled in frustration. It seemed his mind had been made up for him; he needed to go to the meeting now. If nothing else then to confront Johnny, something he'd been trying to avoid up until now, but it seemed Johnny had forced his hand. 'It is a couple of hours away though…' he thought to himself.

Shrugging the thoughts off, he settled on studying the book a little beforehand. After all, it was so graciously lent to him, for whatever reason. It'd be a shame to waste the opportunity.

Grabbing the book, Randy made himself comfortable on his bed, beginning to read. He wasn't sure how much use a book would be opposed to actual practice, but he was willing to try and find out. He could use all the help he could get to prepare for what he had planned for the finals.

* * *

Johnny couldn't help but whistle a happy tune as he spent the afternoon working on his project at the ROR house. He had the final door design almost perfect now; just a couple of small adjustments and he'd be ready to apply them to the actual door.

Chet and Javier were each working on their own projects, still putting their finishing touches to their Scaring Trends projects now that Johnny had helped them work out the rest of what they needed to do. Chet was happily scribbling away on his notes, but Javier was starting to become irked by the tune filling the room. His left antenna began twitching, catching Johnny's eye as he looked up from his paperwork.

"I'm not bothering you, am I?" Johnny asked in a playful tone.

"No, not at all," Javier replied, exaggerating the annoyance in his tone to prove his point to the contrary.

"Can't a guy be happy enough to want to whistle?" Johnny asked, grinning.

"What _has_ got you so happy today?" Javier returned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing much," he replied in the same playful tone.

This struck Javier as suspicious. In fact, this is what he'd privately coined as Johnny's 'mischievous mode'. "You've been up to something, haven't you?"

"What, me? No, of course not," he said, his grin only growing wider.

"Uh huh, and I'm the mayor of Monstropolis," Javier said, rolling his eyes. "This wouldn't happen to concern a… certain someone, would it?"

"Who's that?" Chet suddenly cut in excitedly. "Do you have a crush on someone, Johnny?"

Johnny shot Javier a death glare before replacing his smile and turning to Chet. "Don't worry Chet, it's no-one." His smile slowly faded. "No-one I have a chance with, anyway," he muttered.

"Yeah right, who wouldn't want to hook up with you, Johnny?" Chet said, apparently not sensing the need to drop the issue.

"Put it this way, would you want to hook up with me?" Johnny asked playfully.

"Well, no, but that's because I'm…" A realisation suddenly dawned on the crab-like monster. "Oh, is he straight?"

"Uhh, yeah, something like that," Johnny lied, wanting to drop the issue. It wasn't yet something he was willing to discuss with anyone else. "Like I said, don't worry about it."

"Oh, OK then," Chet said before looking down at his project again, continuing to scribble notes.

Johnny noticed, however, that Javier was still looking at him questioningly, less willing to drop the issue. Johnny sighed slightly and gestured towards the kitchen, getting up from his seat and making his way there. Once Javier entered the kitchen, Johnny decided to tell his friend the truth.

"OK, so I happened to do something for Randy," he said in a hushed tone. "Something which should help him in his studies."

"You happened to do… something?" Javier repeated. "What would that happen to be?"

"I left him a book," he said plainly.

"A book? You don't suppose that perhaps he already has the books he requires for the program?"

Johnny shook his head. "Not this book. It's quite rare."

Javier's curiosity was piqued now. "Rare? Which book are we talking about here?"

"I'm… not sure I can say," he said, rubbing his arm nervously.

"Johnny, it's me you're talking to. You know I can keep a secret. I've been doing it for years, after all."

Johnny sighed; it was true. His friend had kept secrets for him so many times in the past, one more surely couldn't hurt. "OK. Well, see, I happened to find out something about Randy last weekend. Something he's been trying to keep secret."

"And he told you this?"

"No, we never actually spoke. He seems to be avoiding me."

Javier restrained himself from saying "I told you so", instead settling on questioning further. "So what happened?"

"Well, he has a certain ability. One that's rare, even for reptilian monsters."

Javier gasped. "You don't actually mean..?"

"Yeah, he can camouflage. For whatever reason he's been keeping it secret, but I'm sure he's going to be using it in his Scaring. My guess is he'll be doing it for the first time in the finals."

"So you left him a book on camouflaging… And that's what's got you so happy?"

"Well, not just that…" he trailed off, looking slightly ashamed of whatever it was he seemed to be debating over whether or not to say.

"You've used it as a way to force him to talk to you," Javier said, looking less than impressed. "Johnny, I told you-"

"I know, I know," he cut in. "In his own time. But I got sick of waiting. When I saw he was trying to avoid me, I just… wanted to find a way to get him to talk to me. Is that really so wrong?"

"Yes," Javier said flatly. "Whatever it is you want out of him, backing him into a corner isn't the way to get it. Pulling him aside for a private talk when he doesn't want to would have been bad enough, but this… this is something else again, Johnny. What you've done is underhanded at best, but could be considered blackmail at worst."

Johnny sighed again, not really sure how to respond. Of course, Javier was right.

"Look, Johnny," Javier began, sighing slightly as he tried to brush over what Johnny had done. "What is it you want from him? Have you actually worked that out yet?"

"Well, no, not exactly," he admitted. "I was hoping that talking to him would help me figure that out."

"And if it doesn't?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take."

"That's all very well, but is it a risk _he_ wants to take? Johnny, you're not thinking it through. One minute you want to get close to him, the next you don't want to be seen associating with him. Is that really fair on him?"

"Well, I, uh…"

"No, it's not," Javier answered for him, becoming more irritated. "Johnny, I love you, but sometimes you can be so thick-headed. You really should have thought this through more."

"What do I do now then? What's done is done and there's no doubt he's gonna want to talk to me now."

Javier became thoughtful for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to dig his friend out of the mess he'd created for himself. "I'm guessing it'll be at tonight's club meeting?" he asked, to which Johnny nodded. "You'll still have to go. It wouldn't be fair to leave him wondering. If anything, he'll want reassurance that his secret is safe. But beyond that…" He paused again in thought before continuing. "Just be honest with him."

"You mean I should tell him I like him, but I'm too ashamed to be seen with him? I'm sure that'll go over great."

"It's the truth, is it not?"

Johnny looked at his friend incredulously. 'He can't seriously be suggesting I say that, can he?' he thought.

"Look, I'm not suggesting you say that in as many words," Javier said. "But honesty is still the best way to go. Just tell him you like him, but you're confused at the moment. Tell him you're still hoping to see him succeed."

"You're actually saying that I should admit I'm confused?" Johnny said indignantly. "I don't exactly have a reputation for telling people my weaknesses."

"Johnny, would you look past your pride for just a second?" Javier said, becoming irritated again. "Do you want to stay on good terms with Randy or don't you? Answer yourself that and you'll know what to do."

With that, Javier left Johnny to his thoughts, walking back to the living space. Johnny leaned back on one of the countertops, wondering why in Monstropolis he'd put himself in this position. He looked up to the clock on the wall, seeing that the meeting was only half an hour away.

Gathering his thoughts, Johnny grew determined. He'd set up his meeting with Randy, and he now knew what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath and left the kitchen, making his way straight to the foyer. Chet looked at him puzzled while Javier spared him just a quick glance before turning back to his project. Ignoring both, Johnny walked to the main doors, laying a hand on one of the handles. Hesitating for just a moment, he then opened the door and made his way out onto the row.

'I've probably gotten his attention now,' he thought as he made his way up the street. 'I'd better not mess it up this time.'


	12. Chapter 11: Understanding

Before he knew it, two hours had flown by. Randy had become so engrossed in the book he almost caused himself to be late for the meeting. Despite initial doubts, the book was, in fact, incredibly useful. He set it aside on the nightstand, mentally promising himself to pick it up again later.

He then realised that, despite it having been a few hours since his last class had finished, his room was still as vacant as it had been when he'd entered. It was only after begging and pleading that Randy would ever be able to get Mike to leave the room, so to do so of his own conviction struck Randy as odd. Shrugging it off, figuring it was probably the library his roommate had gone to, he made his way out.

Along the way, Randy couldn't help but nervously fumble his way through his thoughts. This was going to be the first time he'd spoken to Johnny since the awkward moment he'd left him at his own party. He wasn't sure what to expect; a friendly conversation, a confrontation, an argument… All possibilities ran through his mind, even the thought that Johnny was just toying with him and didn't, in fact, want to speak to him at all.

It was with that thought he finally reached the room of the meeting. His thoughts were temporarily lost for a moment as he began laughing, having spotted a flier posted on the door. It was loud, obnoxious and multi-coloured, the words "Out and Roaring" emblazoned across the top which, Randy noted, was the first time he'd even taken note of the name of the club.

'Well, looks like they took my suggestion,' he thought, still chuckling. 'Even if I didn't actually say it.'

He then sighed, his conflicted thoughts returning to him once again as he prepared to enter. He wondered if Johnny would already be there, or if he'd be late again, or possibly, if Randy was lucky, not even turn up at all. Randy shook off the last thought; he _had_ to talk to Johnny. Now that he knew his secret, Randy had to confront the senior about it.

Taking a deep breath as he had the last time, he slowly opened the door and made his way in.

* * *

"Johnny, you're gonna be late!" Chip called from downstairs.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," the purple-furred monster called back.

He looked back into the mirror, inspecting his fur for any imperfections. He'd spent the last hour making sure he looked immaculate, although why he wasn't sure. Settling that his appearance was perfectly fine, he set down his comb and headed out of his room. Making his way down the stairs, he couldn't help but overhear Javier snickering to himself.

"You can shut up too," Johnny said, both irritated and amused. Javier knew what he was doing, and Johnny couldn't help but find it funny. Javier always knew when Johnny was making extra effort to impress someone and teased him mercilessly for it, but really, Johnny didn't mind.

"OK, OK," Javier said, his smile showing no signs of disappearing any time soon.

Chip just glanced between the two, looking completely confused.

"Nothing for you to worry about," Johnny said, answering his unspoken question.

"OK then," Chip said, making his way into the living area.

With the foyer now vacant save for the two of them, Javier approached Johnny.

"Now remember, treat this lightly," he whispered to his leader.

"Yeah, yeah," Johnny said. "I know what I've got to do."

"I hope so."

With that, Javier gave Johnny a quick pat on the shoulder, uttered a "good luck" and left him alone. Johnny swiftly made his way out of the house and towards the centre of the campus. His thoughts were settled on one thing and one thing only.

'I cannot afford to blow this.'

* * *

Randy settled himself into a seat, relieved that Johnny wasn't yet there. He knew he'd have to face him after the meeting, but at least this way he could enjoy the meeting itself first.

"Now then," Sonia piped up. "We _should_ have one more member here, but since he's always, and I mean _always,_ late to everything… Well, don't get your hopes up."

Randy couldn't help but chuckle along with everyone else. Everyone knew who she was talking about and everyone knew that he had a reputation for doing what he wanted. Unless it was a class, there was no doubt Johnny would be late to anything.

"So, let's begin. Here's the itinerary for today."

Sonia began to reel off the topics they'd be discussing during the meeting. The march came up again, as well as the themed parties, but Randy was surprised to hear a few other clubs mentioned too. Apparently, the art club had agreed to team up with OAR to present an LGBT art exhibition in the auditorium. Initially, it took Randy a few moments to realise OAR was the abbreviation for this club, Out and Roaring, but once he had the news was interesting to him. He silently wondered which of the members of OAR were artists, if that was indeed what Sonia had meant. In addition, the Film Society and the Theatre Club had plans for some form of LGBT events too, although by the sounds of it these seemed further off in the planning stages.

Just as Sonia was about to move on to the next topic, the door opened again. Everyone turned to see Johnny entering.

"Only twenty minutes late," Sonia said. "I think that's a new record."

"Yeah, uh, sorry about that," Johnny chuckled nervously. "I did make an effort, honest."

"Oh, it shows," Sonia said sarcastically, but smiling nonetheless. "Go on, take a seat."

Randy had been watching the whole exchange intently, his nerves becoming much greater. No sooner had they finished their conversation, Randy felt Johnny's gaze fall onto him. He quickly looked away, a confusing mix of embarrassment and intimidation overcoming him.

Johnny saw Randy's discomfort and decided against his initial thought of sitting next to him, deciding to take a seat a couple of rows behind the freshman. Although listening to what Sonia was saying with some interest, he couldn't help but let his gaze fall upon the reptilian monster intermittently throughout the whole meeting.

Randy, however, tried his hardest to absorb himself in whatever Sonia was saying. A couple of times he became distracted, practically feeling Johnny's gaze burning into his back. Still, he caught almost everything said by the club president, fascinated with the workings of the club. When it came to the end of the meeting, again he found ideas for themed parties being thrown around by the members of the club. He didn't have any himself, but was still interested to hear the others. Halloween certainly seemed likely judging by the enthusiasm shown by all monsters present when it was suggested again, but one suggestion caught his attention. Not due to the idea itself, but rather the monster who spoke it.

"How about Greek?" Johnny asked to which everyone fell silent and turned their attention to him. "Y'know, with all the Greek life we have on campus, what with the fraternities and sororities and all, in the three-and-a-bit years I've been here we haven't thrown one single toga party. How about it?"

"Interesting," Sonia said. "You know, you're right. I'm not sure _why_ that hasn't been done yet. I'll look into it."

All other monsters in attendance applauded and cheered for the idea. Johnny smiled proudly. His first meeting and already he'd gained the approval of all of the clubs members. His eyes unintentionally fell upon Randy again who seemed to be smiling slightly. However, just as soon as the young monster realised he'd been spotted looking at Johnny, he turned away again, the faintest hint of a blush appearing on the scales of his face. Johnny's own smile only grew at this.

"OK then, I think that about wraps it up for today. Thanks for coming everyone, hope to see you all again Sunday."

Everyone began filtering out of the room save for two monsters. Randy didn't move an inch and Johnny, after some hesitation, slowly approached him. Seeing the last of the other monsters leaving, he heaved a heavy sigh, knowing it was now safe to begin what he hoped would be a friendly conversation. He took a seat next to the reptilian monster and began speaking.

"So, Randy, I-"

"Why did you call me here?" Randy interrupted without looking to the senior, doing his best to sound disinterested while he tried to keep is nerves in check.

"Huh? Call you here?"

"With the book. It's obvious you wanted to get my attention. Well, now you have it," he said, turning towards Johnny dramatically with a cold gaze.

"Oh, well I-"

"Are you going to try blackmailing me? Or are you going to tell everyone and try to humiliate me?" Randy knew neither of these things were probable, but still, he wanted to be sure.

"No, no, of course not," he said. "I was just looking to help, is all."

"You just wanted to… help?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Johnny paused for a moment. He wasn't prepared to answer a question like that so soon. "Well, because I respect you. And I want you to do well."

Randy didn't speak for a moment, letting the words sink in. "Respect me? _You_ respect _me_? Really?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then why did you act so… _embarrassed_ by me?"

Johnny rubbed the back of his head. This conversation was going a lot quicker than he'd anticipated. Remembering Javier's advice, he sighed and thought over his answer. "I'm… confused. There's a lot to consider and I'm not really sure what to do about it."

"A lot to consider?" Randy asked curiously.

"Yeah."

A moment of silence came over them as Randy anticipated further explanation. Not receiving it, Randy decided to just accept the situation for what it was, at least for now, and went on to his next question.

"How did you find out?"

"About what?"

"My ability."

Johnny chuckled. "Well, you weren't particularly careful about it. It was after Sunday's meeting, you unblended before running out the hall. Sonia and I both saw it."

"Sonia knows too?" Randy gasped.

"Yes, but don't worry, she won't be telling anyone either. We both agreed you had your reasons to keep it secret, so neither one of us plan to disrespect that."

Curiosity got the better of Randy as he decided to ask something else. "What do you think my reasons are?"

"The book didn't make it obvious?" he smirked.

"So you figured out my plan?"

"Yes, and that's why I wanted to help."

"You know, you could have talked to me about it, instead of leaving me worrying the past week."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just thought it would be my best chance of making you want to talk to me."

Randy nodded his head in understanding. "I guess… I did overreact that night."

Johnny shook his head. "No, you had every right to be hurt by what I did. It's just… complicated."

"OK," Randy stated, knowing Johnny didn't want to go into detail just yet.

After another brief pause Johnny decided to ask the next question.

"So how goes it? Are you able to use your ability effectively?"

"It's getting there," Randy said. "I've been practicing. I think I'm getting better…" He smirked before continuing. "Courtesy of one Mike Wazowski."

Johnny's face fell at the mention of Mike. That was one issue he really didn't want to get into. Their conversation thus far had been civil, but talking about Mike would probably change that. Still, Mike's surname was at least one more bit of information he'd be mentally storing away. Referring to Mike by his first name didn't sit well with him for some reason.

"Well, good for you," he finally said.

More silence followed. The conversation didn't seem to flow as well as it usually would have, but that was to be expected.

"So… There was one other thing I wanted to ask about," Johnny spoke up.

"Oh?" Randy said, looking curious.

"The JOX party on Friday night. What happened?"

"Oh, that," he said, frowning and looking down.

Seeing Randy becoming upset, Johnny wasn't sure if he should continue questioning. Still, his desire to help overwhelmed his respect for Randy's privacy.

"Was it something Big Red said? I know he's not usually the brightest bulb of the bunch."

"Well, sorta, yeah," Randy muttered, not looking up.

"What was it?"

"Well, he found out that night that… No, never mind," he said, shaking his head. "It's not something I need to worry you with."

"No, no, go on," Johnny said reassuringly.

"No, honestly, I probably shouldn't."

Johnny sighed. He didn't want to push the issue if Randy was unwilling to talk about it. He couldn't help but feel frustrated though. His attention was caught as Randy spoke up, however.

"Johnny, if it's OK, I do have a question for you though," he said, looking up again.

"Shoot."

"Well, it's just… I know you're popular and all, but honestly, I've got no-one else to ask so I was hoping you could tell me…" He rubbed his arms nervously as though debating whether or not he really wanted to ask it. "Have you… have you ever had someone bully you or shut you out because of your sexuality?"

"Sure I have," Johnny said nonchalantly. "It's… kinda expected, I guess."

Randy was shocked at this answer. "Even for you?"

Johnny chuckled. "Even for me. I wasn't _always_ this popular, you know."

"Oh," Randy said, becoming slightly embarrassed by his reaction to Johnny's answer.

Putting two and two together, Johnny realised what must have happened that night. He now knew how to help, without letting on that he knew about it. "Listen, Randy, how long have you been out?"

"Actually, Mike was the first one to figure it out," he admitted, looking away again as he blushed. "So not until this semester."

Ignoring the blush, for now at least, Johnny continued. "Well, let me just say now that it's not going to be all roses and rainbows. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that. But you will face a lot of persecution in a lot of different ways. It could be physical, it could be verbal, or it could even just be silent judging. But you need to learn to just brush it off. Most people are more accepting than you may give them credit for." He then smiled as he placed a finger under Randy's chin and turned his gaze back to his own. "And some people just need time. What might first appear to be a rejection could just be someone taking the time to process it. I speak from experience, even some of my own fraternity brothers struggled to accept it at first."

Randy nodded. "O-OK. Thanks Johnny."

"No problem. Now…" A devilish smirk played on Johnny's lips. "Just out of curiosity, how did Wazowski 'figure it out'?"

Randy blushed furiously, knowing he'd been caught out. "Oh, well, we were just talking about some guy and… well, he just figured out I liked him, is all."

"Uh-huh. So, which guy was this?" Johnny asked teasingly.

"N-No-one," he said hastily.

Johnny chuckled. "OK, well, whoever this guy may be," he said in a knowing tone, "is one lucky guy."

Randy, knowing how unconvincing he was, became confused at what Johnny said. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're an amazing guy Randy. Really, anyone would be lucky to have you. I hope this guy realises it."

Randy caught onto his game and, although confused as to why Johnny was doing it, decided to play along. "Well, that's nice of you to say, but I'm not so sure he likes me back. One minute I'm convinced he does, the next he gives me the cold shoulder."

"Sounds complicated," Johnny said. "Maybe this guy is just confused?"

"If he was, I wished he'd tell me why."

"Perhaps he's not ready to?"

"Then I wish he'd tell me that too."

Johnny sighed. He really wished he could explain it all, but the reasons, and the reasons behind these reasons, ran far too deep for just one short conversation. So instead, he settled on at least giving Randy his second wish.

"Well then I, Johnny Worthington, am telling you, Randy Boggs, that although I like you, there are reasons I can't act upon it, not yet at least. And as much as I would like to explain it all to you, I'm not ready to."

Randy nodded his head in understanding before furrowing his brow. "Not yet? What do you mean by that?"

Johnny gasped, not even remembering saying that part. "L-Like I said, I-"

"Is this to do with my performance?" Randy asked, growing slightly irritated. "Oh, I see, this all comes down to your pride again, doesn't it? I should've guessed."

"No, no, it's not just that."

"Yes, it is. You're president of the top fraternity. It doesn't matter how much you like me, you won't risk your reputation on someone who has yet to prove themselves."

"It's not just me wanting to protect my reputation," Johnny countered, becoming angry as well.

"Well then what is it?!" Randy shouted.

"My family!" Johnny shouted back louder.

Randy recoiled slightly, both in shock and fear. "Y-Your family?"

Johnny sighed, calming himself down. A sullen expression overtook his face as he looked down, muttering. "Yes, my family. Sure, I like the idea of being the best, and I work hard for it. But I couldn't give a damn what other people think of me. It's my family that want me to work so hard for my reputation."

Randy looked slightly ashamed for his accusations. It appeared there was much more to Johnny than he realised. "I-I'm sorry."

Johnny looked up. "For what?"

"For accusing you. All this time I thought you were a selfish jerk, I didn't think you were only acting that way for your family."

"Oh, make no mistake, I'm still a jerk," Johnny chuckled. "It's just… I wouldn't be so much of a jerk if I didn't feel I had to be."

"Wait, wait, wait. You'd _still_ be a jerk?" he chuckled. "So, exactly how much _is_ down to your family's influence."

"Relationships," Johnny shrugged. "If I want to be friends with someone, I couldn't care less how well they do at something. And if I wanted something more, well, same thing really. But my parents wouldn't see me associating with anyone who isn't the best. That's why I have no friends outside of the fraternities and sororities on campus. And that's why I haven't yet had a meaningful relationship."

Randy snorted at the last statement. Johnny looked puzzled at the reaction.

"What was that for?"

"Oh, nothing, just heard you get around a bit is all."

Johnny laughed at this. "Randy, we're in college. It's all about having some fun," he added with a smirk.

"Well, thing is, you didn't seem too fussy about who you were with _then_. At least, not by what I heard."

"Look, as much as I'd like to deny whatever it is you've heard, it's probably all true. But so what? What are you getting at?"

"What I'm getting at is that you weren't fussy who you were with then. What's stopping you now?"

Johnny grimaced slightly. "Well, it wasn't as important any of those times. Like I said, I was just having some fun. This… is different."

"Different how?"

Johnny sighed in exasperation. "How is this so hard to understand, Boggs? I don't just want to have fun with you, I…" He suddenly trailed off. He hadn't expected to explain things this far and wasn't sure how to continue, still being confused over the whole matter.

"You want… something more meaningful?" Randy finished for him, eyes widening with his own realisation.

"Yeah…"

The silence that overcame them this time wasn't awkward, it was decidedly warmer. They both simply looked at each other, really _seeing_ each other as though for the first time. But after a while, Johnny sighed and looked away.

"But it doesn't matter what I want," the senior said. "Because I can't have it."

"Because I'm not up to standards?" Randy questioned, although the irritation present in every other time he'd suggested it wasn't there.

"In everyone else's eyes, yeah, that's about it."

Randy allowed the words to sink in. "But you believe in me?"

Johnny turned back to face Randy, smiling gently. "Yeah. I do."

Randy nodded his head, growing determined. "Then that's how it'll be. I'll prove myself. For you."

"F-For me?" Johnny said, slightly taken aback.

"Well, for me too," Randy chuckled. "I want to prove that I'm better than everyone thinks I am for my own reasons, of course. But if it means we can _at least_ be seen talking to each other in public, I'm willing to do it."

Johnny was genuinely touched. This wasn't an outcome he could possibly have predicted. "You'd be willing to work harder to succeed for me?"

"Well, let's just say you've inspired me," Randy said, a smirk appearing on his face.

"But I'm still confused about all of this," Johnny pointed out. "I don't even know what it is I want with you."

Randy paused in thought for a moment before replying. "Well, neither do I. But don't you want the chance to find out?"

Johnny couldn't help but smile at the simple question, nodding in agreement. "It might not work out between us though."

"Maybe not. But at least we could have the opportunity to try."

"Why are you so persistent in this? I've given you plenty of reason to hate my guts by now."

"And yet I don't. Doesn't that say something to you?" he said with a smile.

Johnny smiled wider. He felt good about this; better than he ever had with any other monster that caught his eye. Was it love? He couldn't be sure. But he was going to do his best to find out.

"Then maybe there's hope after all," Johnny said, smiling.

Looking into each other's eyes, both monsters could see their intentions for each other were true. They both wanted to give this a try.

"Just the fine print to take care of first," Randy chuckled.

Johnny chuckled with him before becoming more solemn again. "But what happens in the meantime?"

"We could go back to how we were before," Randy suggested. "Not acknowledging each other's existence."

"That seems a little cold, doesn't it?"

"Well, it's the way it needs to be, right?"

"I… I guess so."

Randy sighed. "The finals are two months away. It can all be different then." He offered a hopeful smile.

"Still, not talking to each other at all for a whole two months?"

"Well, we have these meetings," Randy said. "We can always talk here, like we are now."

Johnny smiled again. "Well, I guess I'll take twice a week over nothing."

"Good," Randy said, standing from his seat. "But try to be on time from now on," he added with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah," Johnny said as he stood from his own seat.

The two monsters made their way to the door, leaving the room. The two stood face-to-face in the hall. Despite the talk they'd had, several questions hung in the air between them. The two gazed at each other, their previous agreement almost forgotten as their faces inched closer and closer. Just as they prepared for what they both had longed for, a group of monsters noisily made their way out into the hall, forcing the two monsters to back away from each other.

The group made their way past them, serving as a cold reminder to both Johnny and Randy that they both had to wait to get what they want.

"I'm sorry," Johnny muttered, becoming upset at this realisation.

"Don't be," Randy said. "It's just two months."

"Yeah, two months."

The two monsters sighed before making their way out. Once outside the building they realised they now needed to go in separate directions, one to the dorms and the other to Frat Row.

"Until Sunday, then," Randy said, smiling and offering a hand.

"Until then," Johnny said, shaking the freshman's hand. He then watched as Randy made his way back to the dorms.

Sighing, he slowly made his way back to the ROR house. Despite the conversation, and the hope it had given him, two months seemed far too long a wait to find out if something he wanted was even possible. He knew if it weren't for his reputation he could try a relationship with Randy now. He couldn't understand why Randy was now being so patient about it, rather than being annoyed. It made Johnny feel guilty with Randy giving him so much; there was nothing he could offer in return.

Somehow, Johnny didn't feel much better than he had to begin with.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so mean! Haha, sorry if this isn't what you were hoping for. Can't have them getting too comfy just yet, I'm afraid. So, I might try my hand at skipping the time forwards a little bit so we can finally get the finals out of the way and really get to the juicy part of the story. There is romance ahead, don't you worry. :)**

**Last call for ideas on Big Red. He will most likely appear in the tail-end of next chapter, so the chapter after should showcase what you've all decided should be the way to go with him. Again, just shoot me a PM or leave a review with your idea if you haven't already.**

**And once again, I hope you enjoyed. :)**


	13. Chapter 12: Explanation

**A/N: So, here's the next instalment. I'm just about edging on the late side, again, so for that I apologise. I struggled a little to get the ending right on this one, so I hope I've done it justice.**

**Fingers crossed I should have a mid-week update for you all, and perhaps a surprise ('tis the season and all).**

**And as pointed out last chapter, the vote on Big Red is now going to be closed. Thank you everyone who reviewed and PMed with your thoughts. The response was amazing. :) I did have a couple of interesting ideas passed around, and I still have a few of my own too, all of which won't be used in favour of the most popular decision. I may or may not write up a few of these alternatives and post them at a later date, just for giggles. ^_^**

**OK, enough of me prattling on. Enjoy the story.**

* * *

"You'll never guess what!"

Randy looked to the doorway where the door had practically exploded open, his roommate laughing on the other side of it as he spoke. This was incredibly unusual behaviour, even for Mike.

"Umm… what?" Randy said simply.

"Well I was down in the gym just now and-"

"Wait, gym?" The purple monster raised the ridge of his brow at this. "Since when did you start going to the gym?"

Mike huffed, annoyed at both the interruption and the need to stray from his story with what he deemed was an unnecessary explanation. "Well, we're training to be _Scarers_. Physical fitness is part and parcel of the job so I figured I should start making an effort." He then looked Randy up and down. "You should probably start too."

Randy gasped and looked down upon himself. It was true he had no real musculature to speak of, part due to genetics and part because, if he was honest with himself, he hadn't ever so much as looked upon any form of gym equipment. Still, he was by no means unfit. "Gee, thanks," he muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that. Just, y'know…" Mike began scratching the back of his head, becoming embarrassed by his statement whilst also trying to think of a way to tactfully explain his point. "Well, you can never be too fit is all," he finally settled on, chuckling nervously.

"Oh, of course," Randy chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, back to… whatever it was you were saying," he added, gesturing with his hands for his roommate to continue.

"Huh? Oh yeah. So anyway, I was at the gym starting my workout and you'll never guess who showed up."

"Go on, who?"

"None other than Sullivan himself. He got on one of the treadmills so I thought I'd try and show him a thing or two."

Randy put a hand to his head. "Oh no, tell me you didn't."

"Oh, but I did! I didn't say a word, just got on and set my speed at a higher setting. He took it as a challenge, just like I knew he would, and increased his setting. So we both kept doing that until it got too fast for him and he fell off first."

"Mike, you're playing with fire," Randy warned.

"Yeah, well, it was worth the look on his face," he chuckled.

"Wait, you said 'first'."

Mike looked puzzled. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You said Sullivan fell off _first_," he pointed out again.

"Oh, yeah, well… I might've, kinda, fallen off too," he said in a much quieter voice.

Randy just looked at him bewildered for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Hey, it wasn't that funny!" Mike whined. "Besides, I still beat Sullivan!"

"Yeah, at running on a treadmill," he replied amidst fits of laughter. "Of all the juvenile things…"

"Well I still got my point across," Mike huffed before taking a seat on his bed. "Anyway, how's your day been? Do anything interesting?"

Randy's laughter died in his throat as he snapped his mouth shut, a slight blush suddenly appearing as he remembered the talk he'd had with Johnny. He'd never kept anything secret from Mike thus far, but still he debated on whether or not he should tell him what had happened.

"Oh, nothing much," he said, looking down whilst trying to act as casual as possible. "I've just been studying a bit."

"Oh really?" Mike said with an inquisitive look. "That blush tells me otherwise."

"Erm, well I-"

"Hey, what's this?"

Randy's gaze snapped straight back up to Mike who seemed to be squinting at something on Randy's nightstand. Following his roommate's line of vision his eyes laid upon the book he'd been given that afternoon.

"Oh, that, well, um…" Despite his best efforts, the reptilian monster couldn't think up a good enough excuse. Even if he had, the fact that Mike had now picked up the book to get a closer look would have surely blown it.

"Mastery of Camouflage, huh? Where'd you find this?" he asked curiously.

Randy was about to answer, but figured he needn't bother when he saw Mike flipping it open to the front page. He then bore witness to his roommate giving the most astonished look he was sure he'd ever seen.

"No way," the green monster said as he looked back up. "Johnny gave you this?"

"Yeah, he left it in the door today," Randy replied.

"But how did he know? You didn't tell him, did you?"

"No, of course not. It's just… he spotted me."

"How did that happen?" he asked in a slightly agitated tone, clearly unimpressed that Randy had blown the secret so soon.

"Well, you remember that meeting I went to last Sunday?"

"Yeah," Mike said slowly, still not understanding.

"It was after the meeting. Johnny turned up. So, I tried blending to avoid him. I guess I… didn't hide as well as I thought."

Mike sighed. "Oh well, it was only a plan… We can think of something else to wow everyone at the finals."

"But he hasn't told anyone," Randy piped up. "And he's not going to. In fact, that's why he gave me that book. He wants to help me."

Mike looked at the book again, still not quite sure what to make of it. "But… why?" was all he managed to say.

"I dunno, really," he admitted. "I don't think he knows either. But there is one thing for sure."

"What's that?"

"He likes me."

Mike then began to smile. "Well, here's news. Did he tell you that today?"

Randy nodded. "At the meeting. He actually turned up for it this time. Although he was a little late," he chuckled.

"So, go on, tell me all about it. Is there a thing going on now, or..?"

Randy's smile faded slightly. "No, we're not exactly going out. Or maybe we are, I'm not sure. But we're keeping quiet about it."

"Until you prove yourself?"

"Yeah…"

Mike sighed again. "Randy, I hate to break it to ya, but that isn't real love."

"L-love?!" Randy squeaked, blushing furiously. "I d-didn't say love! It's _far_ too early to be saying that."

"So what is it then?" he said bluntly.

Randy remained silent for a moment. He'd already had this talk with Johnny himself, and was still no closer to an answer. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "Mutual attraction, I guess?"

"And that's all you want?"

"I don't know, Mike. Neither of us do. Is it really that clear-cut?"

"Well, no, I guess not," Mike said, turning away again, becoming slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, don't mind me; I'm just a hopeless romantic at heart. I guess I just get kinda blinded to things that can make relationships complicated."

Randy couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry about it Mike, I agreed with him anyway. We've both agreed to keep it all under wraps until after the finals. Besides, in a way, if I did start a relationship with Johnny then _I'd_ want to be a little more popular first. Could you imagine all the gossip going around campus? Some weak loser going out with the top Scare student. We'd never get any peace."

"Hey, you're not a weak loser," Mike said, turning back to his roommate.

Randy rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. But I want to make sure everyone else knows that first." He paused for a moment, letting the thought sink in for Mike. "So, you see why it's the best idea to stay quiet? At least for now."

"Yeah, I guess so," he muttered, still not appearing all too happy with the decision. "You sure it's not just his pride getting in the way?"

"Well, possibly, it could be. But you've gotta understand Mike, he's the top Scarer on campus. He's got every right to look out for his image." He somewhat shocked himself with this thought once he'd spoken it. It was a fact that he'd been angered by before, and now he found himself defending it.

"But it shouldn't be more important than you," he replied, becoming irritated again.

"I know, but I just said I agreed to help him with that," Randy snapped, becoming irritated again. "Look, Mike, I know you had a run-in with him, and I know he can be a bit of a jerk, but that's not what he's doing to me. _I_ agreed to this."

"As long as you're sure, then," Mike said, turning away again.

A silence fell upon them, slight awkwardness hanging in the air between the two. Mike took the opportunity to change the subject. "So, this book… Is it any good?"

Randy looked at the book again, smiling. "Actually, it is. I didn't think it would be at first, but it's been a big help." He spotted Mike looking slightly crestfallen at that. "Not as much as your instruction, mind you," he hastily added. "Reading's all well and good, but it doesn't beat practice."

Mike smiled again. "Well, good. It's nice to know you're getting as much help as possible. Mark my words, you're gonna blow them away at the finals, I just know it!"

"I should certainly hope so," Randy chuckled. "Because this technique is hard work."

The two chuckled at this and breathed a sigh of relief, all previous tension now having dissipated.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" Randy asked. "It's too early to settle down."

"How about we study for a bit?"

Randy laughed again. "As if there was any other option."

"Hey, I resent that," Mike said, his smile betraying his amusement.

"Sure," he replied. "C'mon, let's grab our books then."

* * *

Johnny had spent the evening in his room, alone. His thoughts swirled around his head, leaving him restless yet unwilling to do anything. When he'd gotten back to the house he paid no mind to any of his brothers who'd happened to be there as he made his way upstairs. He knew Javier was there, eyeing him curiously, and Chet had been there, his protests being ignored when trying to grab Johnny's attention and stop him from leaving.

Johnny sighed as he sat up in his bed. He was too wide awake to sleep, yet too tired to do anything. He could at least try to mingle with his brothers for a while, try to take his mind off things. Just as he was contemplating the idea a knock could be heard at his bedroom door.

"It's open," he called, not bothering to move from his bed.

The door opened slightly, revealing a bug-like face peering in as though to check Johnny's mood. Once happy it was safe to do so, Javier stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "What's wrong jefe?"

"Nothing's wrong, Jav," Johnny replied. "It's just… nothing's right, either."

"Did things not go well between you and Randy?"

"Yes and no."

Javier raised an eyebrow. "Want to talk about it?"

Johnny pondered the thought for a moment before patting the bed beside him, inviting Javier over to talk. Javier took a seat next to him and gave him a small pat on the shoulder. "So what happened?"

"Well, we've both made it known we like each other," he said, smiling faintly. "But we both know we can't do anything about it."

"That's good, no?"

"Well, no, not really," he huffed. "There shouldn't be anything stopping us. But… there's a lot that is."

"Such as your reputation?"

"Not just mine, but for all of ROR. I just… can't risk it."

"But if Randy does understand that, and is willing to be patient, why is there still a problem?"

"Well, it's because he _is_ willing to be patient. Why? Why is he being so accepting of all the problems I'm bringing to the table if all I've done is made him feel like dirt?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Johnny," he said reassuringly, smiling slightly. "There were perhaps a few things you could have dealt with better, but I wouldn't go so far as to say you've made him feel like dirt."

"Really? Because that's what I feel I've done."

"Well you shouldn't. But listen to me for a moment. Randy seems to be the kind of monster who sees all your faults. Your pride, mostly. And yet he's still interested. He doesn't see you for your status, your ability or anything else that comes with it. He sees you for _you_."

"And how do you figure that?" Johnny asked with a raised eyebrow. "You've only met him once."

"Trust me on this Johnny," he said with a knowing smirk. "You spend enough time in the background and you get to learn these things. It's all about the subtleties."

Johnny frowned slightly at this. "You know, you don't have to always take the backseat role. You should try being the centre of attention more often, the life and soul of the party, like Reggie."

"Why do you think I play ping pong?" he chuckled.

"Well, yeah, I _guess_ there's that."

The two looked at each other and realised how much they'd strayed from the original point for their talk, giving in to laughter.

"Feeling a little better now?" Javier asked.

"Yeah, a little," he said, although his smile wasn't as wide as his friend would have liked.

Javier gave Johnny another pat on the shoulder. "Believe me Johnny, you've got a lot more going for yourself than just status and Randy knows that. He seems smart enough to know a good thing when he sees one."

"Why Javier, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were flirting with me," he teased.

"Not in your wildest dreams," he smirked.

Johnny snorted. "So anyway, it's alright, honestly." He smiled a bit wider now, his thoughts having been put to rest, in part.

"Good. So you'll be coming to tonight's party I take it?"

"Crap, I forgot all about it," he said, panicking slightly.

"Then it's a good thing you spent so long trying to look pretty for your meeting earlier," he chuckled.

"Shuddup," he said, giving Javier a playful punch in the arm.

"Well we've got about an hour until we're expected. Coming down to join us first?"

"Sure."

The two left the room to join their other brothers downstairs, Johnny feeling slightly better than he had before. Still, he couldn't help but think about Randy, especially considering it was JOX hosting tonight's party.

* * *

The evening seemed to fly by, but in truth only a couple of hours had passed. Mike had seemed to give up on studying and retired early for the night. Apparently his first visit to the gym had tired him out.

Randy had taken it upon himself to continue studying the book he'd been loaned by Johnny. He'd gathered a few tips that he wanted to try out, hoping his performance would improve even quicker now. His reading was soon interrupted by a light knock on the door.

He first looked over at the clock, which read 8:47. It was late, but not too late for visitors he supposed. Still, he was curious as to who would be visiting either of them. As far as he knew, Mike wasn't any more social than he was.

Realising he'd already spent too long thinking rather than answering the door, which he should have done already, he quickly got to this feet and ran to the door, taking care to be quiet enough to not wake up his roommate.

When he opened the door he found no-one there. He peered outside and looked both ways down the hall, again spotting no-one. He stood puzzled for a moment before noticing something odd about the door. Again, much like earlier that afternoon there was something posted in the metal cage. It seemed to be a note of some sort. Picking it out, he saw it had the words 'Meet me in the library' scrawled across it. For some reason he figured the handwriting would be too scruffy to be Johnny's but, having never seen his handwriting, he couldn't be sure.

Since there was no time specified on the note he took it to mean immediately. Figuring he had nothing better to do, especially now Mike was asleep, he grabbed his key and quietly closed the door.

Along the way to the library he tried thinking of who it could have been summoning him and for what reason. It could have been Johnny, but by what they'd said to each other they were going to keep to the arrangement of only seeing each other at the club meetings. It could have been Sonia herself in regards to the club, but it didn't seem to make much sense since there shouldn't have been something so urgent to discuss before Sunday. It certainly couldn't have been a member of faculty. But there was honestly no-one else he could think of.

The thoughts carried him the whole journey as he grew more and more apprehensive. He wasn't sure what he was worried about, if in fact he should be worried at all. Still, without knowing who had posted him the note he couldn't let his mind rest.

He stepped through the doors to the library and made his way in, looking around for any sign of a monster familiar to him. There were a few monsters scattered here and there, but none of them Randy recognised. Not sure what to do next, he took a few more tentative steps in, all the while looking around, wondering what was in store for him.

He almost yelped in surprise, and probably would have if not for fear of the librarian, when he felt a hand grab his shoulder from behind. He whirled around to see who it was and he gasped in shock, taking a few steps backwards.

"You?" he said with slight irritation.

Before him stood a very familiar large red monster in a yellow jacket who held an expression of both concern and mild amusement. "What, no drink for me to spill?"

Although he was both annoyed and angered by the fact Big Red had had the gall to call him out of the comfort of his own dorm room for a conversation, the joke still caused the freshman to chuckle, albeit quietly due to their location.

"Why did you drag me out here?" he asked, the irritation subsiding slightly.

"I wanted to talk to you and kinda got fed up of waiting to do it on your terms," he shrugged.

'There's a lot of that going around lately,' Randy couldn't help but think.

"Wanna take a walk?" the larger monster asked, pointing towards the entrance.

Despite initial hesitations, Randy remembered how he'd felt the last time he'd seen Big Red. He had felt he'd been unfair in not giving his friend, if that's what he could still call him, a chance to explain himself, so he supposed now would be the chance to correct that.

"Sure," he finally agreed, following Big Red as he led the way out.

'This is certainly shaping up to be one interesting day.'


	14. Chapter 13: Revelations

**A/N: Well guys, here it is, my mid-week update. ^_^**

**First off, I want to give a big shout out to TheBlackSnorlax. He has his own MU story here on FFN called MU The Freshman Years, which now has a sequel. If you're into mob stories and slash pairings with OCs I definitely recommend you give it a read. He's been a bit of an inspiration to me lately, and I'd appreciate it if you could all give him some props too.**

**Now, remember in my last chapter I mentioned a surprise? Well, for those of you crazy enough to still be reading this story, I want to give you all a big thank you for all the love and support you've shown me and Trust. So this is what I propose; a small gift from me to you. One chapter every day from now until Christmas day. Seven chapters in seven days. I've got most of them written out in rough, so I have no doubt I can deliver on this promise. I hope you all enjoy it. :)**

**And now that I've been ranting on for long enough, on with the story...**

* * *

They had walked around the campus grounds for a little over twenty minutes now without uttering a single word to each other. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it wasn't a warm one either. Randy decided that if anything was going to be settled between them, he'd have to make the first move.

"So, about that night…" he said, hoping it would lead Big Red into his explanation.

"Hm? Oh, oh yeah," the larger monster muttered.

It seemed Big Red had been lost in some kind of trance, deep in thought. Randy only hoped it wasn't to think up some kind of elaborate lie, although despite everything he didn't have Big Red pegged as the deceptive type.

"You mind if we find somewhere to sit first?" Big Red asked.

"Sure," he replied, gesturing over to a nearby bench. "How about there?"

"Perfect."

The two monsters took a seat on the bench and again silence befell them. This time, after a couple of minutes, Big Red spoke up first.

"Randy, first of all, I just wanna apologise for how I acted at the party. But you gotta know I don't have anything against ya for being bisexual."

Randy decided he seemed sincere enough, becoming guilty that he had in fact gotten the wrong impression.

"It's just…" he continued before trailing off. He paused to think for a moment, a slight frown appearing before he spoke again. "It's just that it brought up a lot of questions, y'know?"

"Um, no, I don't know," Randy chuckled, amused by the presumption.

Big Red chuckled too, realising how stupid that must have just sounded. "I'm sorry; I'm not too good at explaining myself. Why'd you think I'm so into sports? Can't write an essay to save my life."

"You know I could always help you with that," Randy said, smiling warmly.

"Oh no, you don't wanna be offering that. Any of the others in the house catch wind of it and you'll have five more essays added to your load," he said.

The two shared another laugh at this before resuming their previous silence. It was decidedly more comfortable now, the ice having been broken, but there were still more questions to be answered.

Randy studied Big Red for a moment, noticing how his restless body language indicated he was still nervous and that he kept glancing over at the freshman with an unidentifiable expression.

"So," Randy piped up. "What were these questions my sexuality brought up?"

"Oh, well, uh," he stammered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. It looked as though he was trying to think of something to say before he sighed and slumped forward slightly, seemingly giving up on thinking up an excuse. "I guess… it got me questioning my own."

"Your own?" Randy repeated slowly, confused. Then it suddenly dawned on him.

Randy wasn't sure if this realisation showed on his face, but he soon figured it must have when it prompted Big Red to speak up again. "Yeah, it got me thinking. Now, it's not something new to me. I've wondered if I was gay or not before. It's just… something I preferred burying deep down instead of facing it."

"Oh, I see." It somewhat saddened Randy to hear his friend say something like this. "So, finding out my sexuality was kinda like… opening old wounds?"

"Something like that," he said before turning away again. "Y'see, all my life I've heard being gay is a bad thing. Now, don't get me wrong I don't believe a word of it, but it wasn't until I came here I heard a single good thing said about being gay. So when I first had the thought that I might be gay, I didn't wanna think about it. I didn't wanna be one of those monsters that got pointed and laughed at, shouted at, beaten up… I didn't wanna be seen as a bad monster."

He sighed before turning back to Randy. "You see, I've always been a pretty popular guy. I was happy with the way things were. So you can imagine, back in high school, I was under pressure to keep up the reputation I had. I didn't wanna go ruining it all just on the chance that I might be gay, because I wasn't even sure I was back then. I'm not even sure now."

Randy offered a small, reassuring smile. "But you know things are different here, right? You can be whoever you want to be and still be just as popular. Monsters don't seem to be as shallow here."

Big Red snorted. "That's a pretty big assumption."

"Prove me wrong."

The larger monster was visibly surprised by Randy's persistence. "You sure are a hopeful kind of guy, aren't ya?"

"I like to give monsters the benefit of the doubt," he shrugged.

"Didn't see a lot of that for myself," he countered with a wry smirk.

Randy chuckled with a slight edge of embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I really did overreact that night. It's just, well, I really care about you Big Red. So when I thought the worst, I just… I just…"

Randy trailed off, seemingly too upset to continue the thought, and he even had to hold back tears that threatened to fall again. Big Red reached an arm around him, pulling him into a hug much gentler than Randy had ever known from him.

"Hey, don't worry about it," the larger monster said with a large grin. "You thought what you thought because I did what I did. We've cleared it up now, right?"

Randy met Big Red's gaze with a smile of his own. "Yeah, I think we have."

They broke the hug and simply basked in the warmth of the realisation that their friendship was back on track.

"So… you said you're not really sure," Randy spoke up. "About your sexuality, I mean."

"Oh, yeah, well… I guess maybe I am, if I really think about it. I mean, I've never really been attracted to girls before, but I can't really say the same about guys."

"So you've been attracted to guys then?"

"Thinking back on it, I think I probably was back in high school too. I just thought it was some kind of… I dunno, confusion before. But, yeah, I think I could definitely say I've been attracted to guys since high school."

Randy chuckled slightly. He was seeing another side to Big Red, not the loud, boisterous, larger-than-life monster he'd come to know, but the more timid, unsure side of him. Randy had to wonder how many monsters actually got to see this side to him, and if he was in fact one of a privileged few.

"So, do you think you'll perhaps, y'know..?" Randy trailed off, emphasising the last part to imply his point.

"Come out?" Big Red finished for him. "I dunno. It's a big step. I haven't told anyone besides you."

Randy was both shocked and touched by this. "So, not even your parents know? Or the other guys?"

The red monster shook his head. "Nope. I dunno how my folks would react, or the guys. I don't wanna make them feel uncomfortable. They might not wanna stick around if they find out their president's gay."

"Don't say that," he reassured. "They'll be fine with it, I just know it."

"How can you be so sure?"

Randy opened his mouth to answer, but promptly shut it. There was no way of knowing, really. He then thought of a way to find out. "Do they know about me?"

Big Red shook his head again. "They did ask about that night, a _lot_, but I didn't tell 'em anything. Y'know, in case you didn't want me to."

Even during the tension of that night at the party he was looking out for Randy's best interests, and this only touched the freshman more. "OK, well here's what we'll do," he began with a wide smile. "I'll come out to them first. Then we can gauge by their response if it's a good idea for you to do the same. How does that sound?"

The plan sounded ridiculously simple, almost as though a child would have suggested it, but it was honestly the best Randy could think of. Still, it did seem to have its desired effect as Big Red grinned wide, looking almost impressed with the reptilian monster. "You'd really do that for me?"

"Of course," he said. "You just wait and see, it won't be a problem with them at all. They won't see you any differently, trust me."

"Well, if you're sure," he chuckled nervously.

"Is there a party going on tonight?"

"Yeah, but we got about half an hour before it starts."

"So we've got time to tell them now then?"

"You wanna do it now?!"

Randy shrugged. "It's as good a time as any. Look, Red, this must have been playing on your mind for _way_ too long already. Don't you wanna just get it off your chest now?"

Big Red sighed. "Well, yeah, I guess."

"Great," he cut in, making sure his friend didn't have time to think of an argument against it. He stood from the bench and gestured towards Frat Row. "Come on then, let's do this whilst we still have the time."

The large red monster let out a chuckle. So many years he'd been worried about this and yet Randy was acting like it was no big deal. He couldn't help but feel reassured. "Sure, let's do it!" he said in his usual booming voice.

The two walked their way over to the JOX house with a renewed sense of confidence, an arm around one another as they once again simply enjoyed being in each other's presence.

* * *

"Heh, I'm thinking this is gonna be the best one yet," Johnny said as he stirred the pot on the stove.

All of the other RORs rolled their eyes at this as they gathered up the supplies they were taking to the party.

"You say that every time, Johnny," Chip groaned.

"Hey, this time I mean it," he chuckled.

"You say _that_ almost every time too," Javier said flatly.

"Whatever," he muttered before turning back to the pot. He still felt this was going to be the best chilli he'd ever cooked and there was going to be nothing to deflate his thoughts about it.

Once sure everyone else had cleared the kitchen, Javier approached the ROR president, a slight smirk on his face.

"So, what's got you in such a good mood?" he asked.

"Just… thinking about how lucky I am to have friends like you guys."

"Oh? Why'd you say that?"

"Because it's true."

Javier rolled his eyes and chuckled slightly. "No, I mean what's got you thinking that now? We all know you consider us good friends, but you don't often voice it."

Johnny stopped stirring the pot, looking up to his friend for a moment. "Really? Huh, perhaps I should more often then," he said before resuming fussing over his chilli.

"Johnny, that chilli's been done for a full ten minutes now. What are you trying to avoid?"

Johnny sighed before taking the chilli of the heat and turning back to his friend. "OK, I'm trying to distract myself from thinking too much about this party. Y'know, because of what happened last week."

"Oh," he replied, realisation coming to him. "Do you think perhaps he'll be there tonight?"

"I doubt it," he said sadly. "Shame really, he never did get to taste my chilli. I don't think, anyway."

"So this is all about giving Randy a taste of your cooking?" Javier chuckled.

"Of course not, it's just… Well, I don't like to think of him feeling excluded, is all. I just wish that he and Big Red would kiss and make up already."

Javier laughed more now. "Poor choice of words, my friend."

Johnny laughed at this then. "Oh come on, like _that_ would happen."

"Well, I dunno… Could explain a few things."

"Like what? It's not like Big Red's gay or anything."

Javier remained silent, but Johnny could've sworn he saw Javier's smirk widen slightly.

"No way," Johnny gasped. "He isn't, is he?"

"Well, I can't say for certain. But I think it's likely."

"Huh, wouldn't have been able to tell myself. And here I was thinking _I_ had the most accurate gaydar on campus," he chuckled.

"I could be wrong though, so don't go telling anyone," Javier warned.

"My lips are sealed."

Johnny went about transferring the chilli to a suitable container to take to the party whilst thinking about this piece of potential information. "Still, you're right," he spoke up again. "If that's true it might explain that night pretty damn well."

"We can only hope the two get the chance to talk it out."

Johnny stopped in his tracks, eyes twinkling as though and idea was rapidly forming.

"No!" Javier snapped. "You can't interfere again. Just because you figured out _what_ happened, it doesn't mean you know _why_. Let Randy deal with this one."

The horned monster sighed as he finished packaging the chilli up. "Alright, alright. But if they don't do it soon I can't promise I won't step in and do it for them."

"Then talk to Randy about it. Not right now, though, you've only just begun to sort out your own problems. But if it's that much of a concern, talk it out first."

"Yeah, that probably would be best." He then looked up to Javier with a wide smile on his face. "What would I do without you, Jav?"

Javier shrugged and smiled wide again. "We both know you'd have gotten yourself killed by fourth grade."

Johnny laughed. "True enough. C'mon, let's get going. Don't wanna be too late to this party."

* * *

Big Red and Randy walked into the JOX house to find the others making the final preparations for the party. They all turned to see who had come in and a buzz instantly generated amongst them.

"Randy!" they all called out, rushing to come and greet their friend.

"Hey guys," he chuckled, receiving a confusing mix of handshakes and hugs.

"OK guys, take five," Big Red told his brothers. "We've got something to discuss before the party starts."

"Is this gonna be about the party last week?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, you never did tell us about that," Dirk said.

"Guys, let us get to the couch first," Big Red chuckled.

The whole group made their way to the main living area, Big Red and Randy taking up the couch while the others took a seat in one of the many chairs dotted around the room.

"Well, what's this about?" Percy asked.

"I'll let Randy go first," Big Red said.

All eyes turned to the young reptilian monster who suddenly became very nervous. He took a deep breath before he spoke up.

"So, um, guys, I've got something I need to tell you all."

The group remained silent as they looked between Big Red and Randy.

"I, uh, I wanted to tell you all that, uh…" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly; this was actually harder than he'd initially thought. Big Red gave him a pat on the shoulder, smiling down on him reassuringly. "I wanted to tell you that I'm… bisexual."

The group simply stood there, not moving or saying anything. Their expressions didn't change either. Big Red and Randy just exchanged puzzled looks; this wasn't the reaction, or lack of, that they'd been expecting. Just then, a couple of chuckles could be heard before the whole group burst out laughing.

"Oh wow, shocker!" Percy said whilst laughing.

"W-Wait, you guys already knew?!" Randy cried. "H-How-"

"Oh come on, Randy," Dirk butted in. "We've seen the way you keep ogling Johnny at our parties. How could we _not_ know?"

"What?!" Randy's face instantly flushed a deep crimson as he began floundering slightly. "A-Am I really that obvious?!"

"Dude, the only way you could be any more obvious is if you'd have been making moves on him," Percy said, rolling his eye.

"O-OK, then," Randy said, still incredibly embarrassed. "Kinda deflates the mood."

"I didn't notice," Big Red muttered lowly.

"Aw, don't worry about it Randy," Baboso said. "It's not like we think any less of you. I mean come on, Johnny is hot. If any of us were interested, we'd be all over him too. Well, except Big Red that is."

Big Red and Randy both snapped their attention to the spotted blue monster. "Wait, what did you say?" the red monster gasped.

"You didn't think we didn't know?" Percy said in disbelief. "You're our _fraternity president_. How could we not?"

"Oh, well, I guess…" If it weren't for his red skin, Big Red would surely have had a blush to rival Randy's. "When did you guys figure it out?"

"Not long after we first met you, really," Dirk shrugged.

"But I wasn't even sure myself until now..."

"Well, we were!" Percy chuckled. "Sorry big guy, we didn't mean to mess up your big 'announcement'. But honestly, we thought you had other news for us."

"What other news?" Big Red asked, baffled.

"Well we thought you were gonna tell us you two finally hooked up."

"What?!" Randy and Big Red exclaimed in unison, slightly shuffling away from each other.

The others all roared with laughter again. The two monsters weren't sure whether to be annoyed, relieved or amused.

"What gave you that idea?" Randy said, finally managing a chuckle.

"All the signs were there," Percy pointed out. "Big Red never takes a shine to someone as quick as he did with you."

"That doesn't mean I like him that way," Big Red huffed.

"Oh, well _excuuuuuse me_," he laughed. "I was just sayin' what we were all thinking."

"Why didn't you guys say anything before? About any of it?"

"We didn't want you to feel embarrassed about it all," George said.

"Well I'm embarrassed now!"

"Clearly!" Dirk chuckled.

Once the laughter died down, Big Red attempted to regain control of the conversation. "Anyway, now that that's out in the open, even if it already _was_ without my knowledge," he muttered while rolling his eyes, "that's the reason why Randy was upset when he left the party last week. I found out he was bi and I… kinda didn't take the news as well as I should've. He probably thought I was homophobic or somethin'."

"Oh, that explains it," Baboso said. "Well don't worry Randy, you're in good company here. We don't care if you're straight, bi or gay. You're our brother first, ain't no changing that."

"Yeah," everyone else said, agreeing with the sentiment.

"Thanks guys," Randy said, smiling wide as his eyes again threatened to well up.

"Oh no, don't go crying," Percy chuckled. "We don't do mushy crap here."

The others laughed, Big Red and Randy included this time.

"Right, well come on guys, we got a party tonight!" Big Red suddenly roared, to which everyone else cheered. "Let's make this a night to remember!"

"Hell yeah!" Percy cried out. "We're gonna blow the roof off!"

"I wouldn't be surprised with the music you guys play," Randy chuckled.

"Hey, no dissin' the music!" Baboso snapped playfully. "That's _my_ playlist you're messing with."

"That explains a lot."

The others all laughed at this before returning to the tasks they were finishing off previously. Both Big Red and Randy almost forgot why they'd been so apprehensive to begin with. They were certainly in good company with the JOX brothers, and they wondered why either of them even questioned it to begin with.


	15. Chapter 14: Reestablishment

It wasn't until monsters started piling into the JOX house that Randy realised what had happened. He was tricked into attending a party. It was probably unintentional, but Big Red had put him in the position where he was going against something he'd sworn he wouldn't do until the next semester. But the strange thing was he didn't mind one bit. Taking part in even just the tail-end of the preparations had given him a sense of inclusion and he felt happy. Happier than he had been in a long time. He almost felt like an official frat member.

This happiness did, however, give way to awkwardness when the RORs made their grand entrance. Big Red gave them his usual overenthusiastic greeting, as he had done with everyone else who'd entered the house so far, whilst Randy shied away from the group. He knew the arrangement; he'd be able to speak to Johnny privately after their club meetings, but they were to keep their distance in public.

He sighed as he made his way to the far end of the games room. As much as he understood why Johnny had to protect his reputation, it was still the one bane in this whole situation. He did, however, realise that he'd come to accept it more now. It was something Big Red had said just an hour ago that struck him.

'Back in high school, I was under pressure to keep up the reputation I had.'

It mattered to Johnny, it mattered to Big Red, and Randy came to realise it mattered to him too. After all, popularity was something he himself was striving for, so he just had to accept the fact that it came at a cost. Nothing good in life was free.

He began making small talk with a small group of monsters that had claimed a corner of the games room. He convinced himself he could be confident, outgoing and, above all else, popular. He knew he wouldn't achieve the popularity of the RORs, far from it, but he didn't need to be the top Scare student to make a few new friends; he hadn't with the JOX. Even if he didn't want to party initially, he was here now, and he was determined to make the most of it.

* * *

"So, where do I put this big guy?" Johnny chuckled once Big Red was through attempting to tear his arm off with a handshake, gesturing to a container in his other hand.

"Is that what I think it is?" the red monster asked, eyes widening.

"Sure is. Best one yet if I may say so myself."

"So he says," Chip snorted.

"Oh man, I can't wait to get a taste!" Big Red boomed. "Just stick it on the table over there," he said, gesturing to a table that already seemed tightly packed with snacks. "Uh… yeah, if ya can."

"What about the rest?" Chet asked, peeking over a stack of snacks he was carrying precariously in his claws.

"Whatever doesn't fit on the table can just be shoved under it," he shrugged.

"Ohh, that is a good idea!" he said excitedly, moving over to the table to do just that, the other RORs in tow.

As Johnny walked he scanned the room, looking for any sign of a certain purple reptilian monster. He sighed when he couldn't find him despite knowing it was unlikely. He soon shook it off when Chet started crying out excitedly about the party.

"Man, this party's gonna be awesome! Just the break we needed from our projects! I can't believe it's the weekend again already, time flew by real fast. It's crazy!"

"Chet, indoor voice," Johnny gently scolded. "The music isn't _that_ loud."

"Yet," Chip added.

"Sowwy boss," Chet said, looking down.

"That's alright," Johnny said, his smile showing he wasn't as annoyed as he might have sounded. "But I do agree. This party is the perfect way to put an end to a stressful week."

"Stressful?" Chip said, cocking an eyebrow. "Thought you were weeks ahead of the rest of us?"

"He is," Javier agreed.

"So what's been so stressful for you?"

For such a simple question Johnny honestly didn't have an answer. It was true he was ahead in his work so that was hardly a concern, the only thing that had been worth of any form of stress was the fact he'd spent the past week fretting over Randy. He couldn't tell them that, though. Thankfully he didn't have to think up an excuse, which he felt he had no hope of doing, for as soon as Chip had asked the question Javier came to his rescue.

"He's been helping a lot with my project," the bug-like monster interjected. "We've both had a bit of a tough time getting to grips with it."

"Figures you'd be so calm about it, though," Chip snickered.

"I don't see any sense in worrying about it," he shrugged. "At least not yet. Johnny, good friend that he is, has been doing the worrying for me," he finished with a slight chuckle.

"Aww, ain't that sweet of ya?" Reggie chuckled as they all turned to their president, who promptly replaced his look of surprise with a mock-bashful smile.

"Shuddup," he said playfully.

"Well what are we waitin' for?" Reggie said. "Let's party!"

With that, he, Chip and Chet made their way to the other side of the room, after grabbing a beer, while Johnny and Javier hung back.

"Thanks for the save," Johnny said.

"No problem."

"No, I mean it Jav, you've been-"

Johnny was cut off as Javier held a hand up to silence him. "Johnny, you don't need to thank me for any of it. We've known each other for years." Javier then smiled much wider than usual, a smile only Johnny usually had the pleasure of witnessing. "You know I have your back as much as you do mine."

Johnny was touched by his friend's words. He'd heard them a few times before, but it didn't make him feel any less special. "Well, just thanks, then."

"Not a problem."

"Hey, Javier!" came a loud voice from behind them.

The two monsters turned to find their large, red host approaching them, a wide smile on his face.

"Big Red," Javier replied courteously.

"Hey, y'know Zane said he wouldn't be makin' it tonight?"

"I was informed, yes."

"Well, looks like you might have an opponent tonight after all."

Both Javier and Johnny's eyes widened at this. "Wait," Javier began. "You mean..?"

"That's right, my boy Randy's here tonight," he said with a proud grin. "Haven't told him yet, but I doubt he'll say no."

"Well, let me know when you want to start."

"Will do," he said before trailing his way to the games room.

The two stood in stunned silence. Neither of them had expected whatever problem Big Red and Randy had to be resolved so quickly, no matter how much Johnny had wanted it to be.

"Well, tonight certainly became more interesting," Javier said.

"Yeah," Johnny muttered, still too stunned for speech.

He wasn't sure why, but now Johnny knew Randy was here, he wasn't so sure it really was what he wanted.

* * *

"So then Hardscrabble boots him off the program, right there and then!"

Randy had been listening intently to a conversation the group of monsters had involved him in regarding a friend of theirs who had slipped up during his first year winter finals. The group were now sophomores, but they'd also been telling him the courses only got harder from there. He couldn't help but become even more nervous about the finals now despite his earlier confidence.

'What if I slip up?' he thought to himself. 'What if I mess up my camouflage? What if my roar or hiss isn't good enough?'

One of the other monsters must have noticed his nerves because he felt the need to reassure him. "Hey, but don't worry about it buddy," said the monster Randy had learned was named Siegel. "You look like a scary guy. I'm sure you'll do great!"

"R-Really? Thanks," he said, blushing slightly. It actually meant a lot to him to hear someone actually say he was scary. He wasn't sure if the other monster was being sincere or just trying to make him feel better, but he didn't mind. The compliment alone was enough.

He suddenly jumped as he felt a hand connect to his upper right shoulder, narrowly avoiding spilling his drink. He didn't even need to look to know who it was.

"Every damn time!" he chuckled, turning to face the JOX president.

Big Red just snickered. "Sorry little man, it just doesn't get old."

"Yeah, yeah. So what's up?"

"You've got a match to play."

"A match?" he repeated, not sure what his friend meant.

"Yeah, a ping pong match. Javier's up for it if you are."

Randy wasn't so sure if he wanted to. He was trying to keep his distance from Johnny and the RORs, but at the same time he didn't want to actually be _noticed_ avoiding them. He was only really stuck with one option. "Sure, sounds great," he said, offering the best smile he could.

"Awesome! We'll get the table set up and ready for ya both in… say ten minutes. Ya better drink up now or you know Baboso or Percy'll have it," he added, pointing to the cup in Randy's hand.

"Will do."

With a final pat on the back which, again, almost threatened to topple the freshman over, Big Red went off to enlist some help in setting up the ping pong table.

"Whoa, you're gonna be playing against Javier?" Siegel gasped. "That's amazing! We gotta see this!"

"Yeah!" the other monsters flanking him said in unison.

"Oh, well, I'm not that good really," Randy said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Dude, you gotta be good if Javier's willing to go up against you! He doesn't play anyone who isn't a challenge. Everyone knows that!"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah man, I'm telling ya, you're gonna be great!"

"Well, thanks," he beamed. He wasn't sure what he did to deserve such praise, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

"Oh, dude, here he comes!" said a friend of Siegel's whom Randy didn't remember the name of, pointing to the entrance to the games room.

Sure enough, Javier, along with the other RORs, were entering the games room, trailing behind Big Red who seemed to be wearing a goofy grin.

"Knock 'em dead!" Siegel said as he gave Randy a pat on the back.

"I'll give it my best shot," Randy snickered, downing the rest of his drink before setting the cup aside.

He took a deep breath and approached the table, finding the bug-like monster already waiting at the other side. There certainly seemed to be no messing around when it came to Javier and ping pong. Big Red gave the freshman another pat on the back before the game started.

"Hey Randy," he whispered, which surprised the reptilian monster. He didn't even know Big Red was capable of whispering. "Give it your best, yeah? I know you can do it, man."

"I dunno," Randy whispered back. "I wasn't really good enough last time and I haven't played since."

"Doesn't matter, I reckon you can do it. You're good enough, you just gotta believe it."

Randy smiled. "Alright, if you say so big guy."

"Good man."

As Big Red left the table, Randy turned to his opponent with a renewed sense of confidence as a large crowd quickly gathered around them.

'Maybe I can do it,' he thought. He then saw the stony expression on Javier's face which unnerved him slightly. 'Or maybe not.' He took a deep breath and settled his nerves again. 'Either way, I'm giving it my best shot.'

He gave his opponent a cocky smirk. "Your serve."

Javier seemed to quirk a small smile. He liked a display of confidence. "Very well."

And with that, the game was underway.

* * *

It wasn't a win, but Randy performed much better than he had in the last match. Nine points to Javier's eleven. If the crowd had been energised during last week's match, this one had made them positively electric. Randy and Javier both received their fair share of cheers throughout, Randy more so since he was a relative newcomer and for some this was the first match they'd witnessed the freshman play.

By the end of it Randy was proud to see Javier was actually slightly out of breath too. It seemed the senior had had to really exert himself to earn his win this time, and despite losing, this made the reptilian monster incredibly proud.

"Way to go Randy!" Baboso called as the JOX crowded him.

"That was awesome!" George said.

"It wasn't a win, but you came damn close!" Percy added.

"Guys, guys, give him some room!" Big Red chuckled.

As the JOX did as asked and backed off slightly, Randy was only mobbed by other monsters wanting to congratulate him.

"Well done!"

"Awesome man!"

"You were amazing!"

"It was so close!"

"Did you see Javier's face? He was actually worried at one point!"

It went on for a whole fifteen minutes, all sorts of monsters congratulating him before making their way back to the living area. Randy could have sworn Siegel was one of them, but he couldn't be sure. The whole crowd became a blur, almost seeming to blend into one. The praise made him giddy; he wasn't entirely sure how comfortable he was with it. He wanted attention and popularity, but this was all too much for the young freshman.

Thankfully it soon ended when everyone had gotten their fill and Randy was finally given some room to breathe.

"Geez, I didn't realise ping pong was that big a deal," he chuckled as he finally regained his breath.

"Dude, you're in the JOX house," Big Red laughed as he put an arm around him. "_Any_ sport is a big deal here. Way to go buddy, you were awesome!"

"Thanks," he said, smiling wide. Of all the monsters, Big Red's praise meant the most to him.

The sound of a monster clearing his throat snapped their attention to behind them where Javier stood waiting. Big Red let Randy go when they noticed the bug-like monster holding out his two right hands, which Randy shook.

"That was an incredible show of progress," Javier said. "And I'm not ashamed to admit I gave that match my all. You're certainly a worthy opponent."

"Thank you," Randy said, trying his best not to appear as humbled as he felt. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to be as casual about it as possible. Perhaps it was to appear more impressive.

"I look forward to our next match. Perhaps I may suffer my first loss at the hands of someone else besides Zane."

"Perhaps."

Javier offered another small smile before making his way back to the other RORs. Randy watched as they filtered out of the room, but not before Johnny offered him a smile and a wink. He immediately blushed, looking around him to see if anyone else may have spotted the wink. Happy with the fact that everyone seemed to be busy talking to each other he relaxed.

"Well now all that excitement's out of the way, let's go re-join the party!" Big Red boomed, leading everyone into the living area, grabbing Randy along his way. "Johnny's cooked up a mean chilli, you gotta try some," he said to the freshman.

"Oh really?"

"I'm sure he'd appreciate it," Big Red teased.

"Shuddup," he said, playfully punching Big Red's arm, earning him a chuckle from the larger monster.

It was clear that all of the JOX now knew he was infatuated with Johnny, but he was glad they didn't yet know it was reciprocated. Still, that wink was a bit of a risk. He might have to tell Johnny off for that the next time they met.

* * *

"Holy… Wow, that's spicy!" Randy exclaimed as he took a mouthful of the rather generous portion of chilli Big Red handed him. He fanned his mouth slightly before he was able to guzzle down a drink to soothe his throat, promptly followed by another.

"Pfft, amateur," Big Red said playfully as he chowed down on a much larger portion.

"How can you stand it?" Randy asked, not sure whether he should be more impressed with his friend's ability to withstand so much spice or his ability to eat so much so quickly.

"You get used to it," he shrugged. "Y'know, back in the day the JOX and the RORs would have weekly chilli cook-offs. That was back when we had a member who could cook," he chuckled.

"Huh, well I was going to say none of you seem to be the cooking type," he snickered.

"Hey, I'll have you know I can make a mean microwave pizza!"

Randy suddenly burst out laughing, thankful he'd stopped himself from taking another sip of his drink. "You're too much."

"Don't I know it?" he replied with a smirk.

Randy only laughed more. "Gotta say Red, since our talk you've gotten a little more… daring."

"Well, it's all thanks to you. So if you don't like it, you only have yourself to blame."

"I'll keep that in mind," he chuckled.

"So hey, does Johnny like ya back?"

Randy's eyes snapped open, although he made sure Big Red didn't see. "Uhh, I don't know," he lied.

"You oughta ask him out," he suggested.

"Yeah right, a guy like me ask out the president of the top fraternity?"

"Whaddaya mean a guy like you? You're awesome, man! Why'd ya gotta say it like it's crazy?"

"Because it is crazy! The RORs are the top Scarers of MU."

"So? What's that gotta do with it?"

"Well, I'm a Scare major too! They wouldn't wanna be seen with someone like me if I don't measure up to them."

"Why not? It's not like you're trying to join their fraternity. It's asking a guy out. There's a bit of a difference."

"Is there?"

Big Red narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You sound like you've had this conversation before."

Randy's face flushed despite his best effort not to let on. "Um, well, I-"

"Wait a minute, Johnny's told you that, hasn't he? You _have_ asked him out."

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that," he admitted.

"How complicated?"

"I can't say."

"Want me to knock some sense into him?"

"No!" he cried, blushing more when a few monsters turned in their direction. Once they turned away again Randy continued, albeit in a much quieter tone. "No, you don't need to do that." He sighed. "Look, I can't tell you exactly what's going on, but… Well, maybe there _could_ be something between me and Johnny, just… not yet."

"Why not?"

"Red, please, just drop it," he said with a pleading look on his face. As much as he might have wanted to explain it to his friend, he couldn't yet. It wasn't that he didn't trust Big Red, he just didn't feel comfortable explaining a situation he was only starting to get to grips with himself.

Big Red sighed, giving in to his friend's wishes. "Alright, but you gotta promise me you'll explain it to me some time."

"I will," he reassured. "Just not yet."

The JOX president nodded in understanding despite not understanding at all. Still, he respected the freshman's need for privacy despite his curiosity. "I still think he's crazy if he's putting you off, though," he huffed.

"Because I'm so awesome, right?"

"Well, yeah."

Randy laughed. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were hitting on me."

"Yeah, right," Big Red chuckled nervously. He'd never been as thankful for his natural skin tone as he was right now. He then abruptly cleared his throat. "Anyway, where'd the other guys get to?"

"Huh, I dunno," Randy commented. "Didn't they pass on the chilli?"

"Probably," he shrugged. "I was just thinking we might get to dance to a few songs before the night's up."

"Sure, dance," Randy chuckled. "Wait, is it really that late?"

"Yeah, your game took the best part of three hours."

"Really? Wow, seemed like a lot less."

"Well you _did_ score nine points," he laughed.

"True."

The two scanned the room for any sign of their brothers before finally spotting them dancing in a corner of the room, sloshing their drinks over the floor around them.

"Looks like they started without us," Randy pointed out.

"I'm gonna kill 'em for that mess," Big Red growled.

"Take it easy, it's a party, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. 'Sides, it ain't gonna be me clearing it up in the morning."

"That's the spirit," Randy snickered.

The two made their way over to their brothers who beckoned them over once they'd spotted them.

"Heyyy, you guys finally decided t'join us," Baboso slurred.

"Yeah, we thought you'd miss out on the last few songs," Percy said.

"Sorry, had to give Randy his first taste of Johnny's chilli," Big Red chuckled. "He's not a big fan."

"Neither are we, truth be told," Percy said to Randy. "It's only Big Red that eats the stuff."

"I know why, now," Randy said. "It's _way_ too spicy for monster consumption."

"Got that right."

"Whatever," Big Red said as he rolled his eyes. "Now we gonna dance or what?"

"Hell yeah!" Baboso called out.

The group then promptly started dancing, or at least their own interpretation of what could be considered dancing. As always, George was the only one that really had any rhythm, but it didn't stop the closely huddled group having fun.

* * *

"So, managed to keep your distance then?" Javier asked Johnny.

"Yeah, thought it'd be more difficult in a house as cosy as this one," he chuckled.

"Still, he's back to his old self. He's having fun… uh, 'dancing' with the others." He grimaced slightly as he looked over at the group who looked as though they were simply thrashing their bodies around rather than dancing.

Johnny just laughed at his friend's reaction. "Yeah, if that's what you can call it. But it's still good to see," he admitted.

"So no more fretting over him?"

"No more fretting."

"Good. You'll be talking to him again on Sunday I take it?"

"Yeah."

Javier raised his brows. "That didn't sound particularly enthusiastic."

Johnny sighed. "I'm not sure what there is to talk about, really," he shrugged.

"How about each other? Surely that's how a relationship starts."

"I guess."

This time Javier laughed. "You'll both figure it out."

"I hope so."

"I know so."

Johnny rolled his eyes. Javier always had to have the last word. In fairness, he _was_ usually right.

* * *

As the last song played Randy began stumbling over his feet as he tried to keep up with the beat of the music.

"Whoa, how much have you had to drink?" Big Red asked as he propped the freshman up for the third time that night, preventing him from falling.

"Uhh… dunno, four, five maybe?"

"What did you drink?"

"Just the beer, I think."

Big Red looked over to the table and then back to Randy. "Which one?"

"Both," he shrugged.

"Oh, that explains it. You did know one of them was about twice as strong as the other, right?"

"Nope," he replied nonchalantly as he continued dancing.

Big Red just chuckled and shook his head. This didn't bode well.

The final song came to a close and the JOX saw everyone off as they left. Randy was making his way to the doorway to leave too, stumbling every few steps.

"Whoa there lil' guy, you ain't going nowhere," Big Red said as he stopped Randy from making his way out.

"Huh? Why not?" he asked in a slightly dazed fashion.

"You've either drunk too much or drunk too quickly, but either way you're in no state to go anywhere."

"But I gotta get back to the dorms," he whined, still not understanding.

"No way, you're crashing here tonight."

"But-"

"No buts, you're staying here."

Not giving his friend time to argue, he led Randy over to the couch, clearing it of empty cups and wrappers to various food items. "I'll clear that up in the morning," he muttered. "Hey Percy!" he called out. "Be a pal and get a couple of blankets!"

"Way ahead of ya," he said as he entered the room, blankets and pillows in hand.

"Awesome," the red monster said as he set out the pillows and blankets for Randy. "Right, this is your bed for tonight," he told the freshman. "You can head back to the dorms in the morning."

"O-OK," he stammered, laying himself out on the couch. Within minutes he was already asleep.

"Damn, he was out of it," Percy snickered.

"Yeah, that might've been my fault," Big Red said as he scratched his head. "He kinda chugged down a couple of beers after I made him eat the chilli. I'd wager it was probably the stronger one."

"Gotta label those better in future."

"Don't think it would've made a difference. He just drunk what he could get to first," he chuckled.

"Well, better get this mess cleared up."

"Nah, leave it 'til morning. Let's leave him in peace for now."

"No arguments here," Percy said as he headed out. "Night boss."

"Night."

Big Red turned to face Randy who had a peaceful expression on his face as he snored lightly. He was torn between going to bed or staying with Randy. He wasn't sure if this was the first time the freshman had gotten so drunk.

Figuring he was probably worrying too much, he headed off to his own room. As he left the living space he took one last look at the slumbering freshman. He was again reminded how lucky he'd been today, not only regaining his friend but making his friendship stronger, as well as being helped through a problem that really wasn't a problem to begin with.

"Sleep well Randy," he said before heading off to his own bed.


	16. Chapter 15: Accomplishment

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. Next one should be much longer.**

* * *

Slowly cracking his eyes open, Randy awoke to a rather surreal sight playing out before him. A few different blurs of colour, each accented by a blur of yellow, were quickly scuttling about the room. He heard their footsteps padding or, in a couple of monster's cases, pounding across the floor as they worked and, once remembering where he was, he could only assume it was the JOX clearing up from the party the night previous.

Slowly sitting up he was unsurprised to find his head ached immensely. He did remember how drunk he'd gotten, so a headache and the slight feeling of nausea were to be expected. What wasn't however was the pain shooting through his spine, cramping in a few different places. Randy suddenly realised quite how uncomfortable the couch was. He groaned as he slowly stretched out his long spine which audibly popped a few times as it slowly readjusted to a position more fitting to his anatomy, groaning more as the motion made his head pound more.

"Damn Red, where'd you get this couch, the junkyard?"

"Hey, I resent that," his loud voice boomed, making the young freshman wince at the volume. "That couch has survived more than most war vets."

"That explains it," he yawned, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision. Blinking a few times the JOX president became clear in view, looking down on him with a slight smirk.

"Morning sleepyhead," Big Red chuckled.

"Morning," he mumbled as he rubbed at his head gingerly. "Geez, how much did I drink last night?"

"Not enough to choke on your own vomit during your sleep."

Randy scowled at his friend. "Charming."

"Relax little guy, we've all been there. More times than we can count, actually," he laughed.

Randy held his head again. "Could you keep it down, please? I'm feeling a little fragile here," he chuckled.

That was all Big Red needed to hear. A playful smile played on his lips as he walked over to the freshman, leaning down to within inches of the side of his face. "Does my voice bother you?!" he shouted.

"Agh!" Randy cried, recoiling from the ear-splitting noise to the point that he fell off the sofa.

Every one of the JOX brothers present began laughing as the reptilian monster tried scrabbling to his feet.

"Dammit Red, that wasn't funny," he groaned as he finally regained his bearings.

"Was pretty funny," he snickered.

"Why didn't I just go back to the dorms?" he whined.

"'Cause I wouldn't let ya."

"So you could torture me?"

"Pretty much," he shrugged.

"Oh, well thanks then," Randy said, acting hurt. "I thought it was because you actually cared."

"Nope."

"You're a dork."

"Says the one who actually expected _me_ of all monsters to treat 'em right when they get drunk."

A wolf-whistle caused them both to stop their playful argument, turning to see Percy seemingly snickering at his own private joke. They both looked at him in confusion.

"Oh come on, give it a minute's thought and you'll _know_ how that sounded," Percy said, still snickering.

The two literally did give it a moment's thought before they almost yelped at the realisation, Randy blushing furiously and Big Red presumably doing the same.

"You're a jerk, Percy," Big Red snapped.

"What?" he chuckled. "You gotta pick your words better there, big guy. Now that you know that we know you ain't getting it easy."

"Oh great, so coming out _does_ come with consequences," he muttered, glaring at Randy who giggled nervously. "Thanks a lot."

"Relax Red," Baboso snickered. "We ain't gonna tease ya _too_ much."

"Yeah, sure, what he said," Percy added.

"Y'know I could kick both your asses outta the fraternity, right?" Big Red growled, although a smile betrayed his amusement.

"But you wouldn't," Percy smirked.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, giving up on arguing. He smiled evilly when he noticed Randy laughing too. "But you can't give him an easy time of it, either," Big Red added, gesturing to the freshman.

Randy promptly shut his mouth, glaring at the larger monster. "Hey, don't drag me into this."

"Don't worry," Baboso reassured. "He won't be getting off easy either."

"Like we said," Dirk chimed in, "you're our brother."

"I'd like to quit now, then," Randy chuckled.

"Pfft, like that'd stop us," Percy said.

"Oh joy," he deadpanned.

Everyone around him laughed and, eventually, he couldn't help but join in. The teasing may come to annoy or embarrass him, but it still served to make him feel more welcome. He truly did feel like a JOX member and the feeling couldn't be beaten.

After helping them clear up the rest of the mess he left the house to return to the dorms, although not before being made to promise to return to bake cupcakes again soon. It then suddenly struck him that Mike might be annoyed with his absence. He couldn't remember if they'd made plans but no doubt he would receive a lecture regardless. Still, he smiled at the thought. At least it would show he cared, just like the JOX brothers' teasing. Despite the hangover, Randy could safely say this was his best morning on campus.

* * *

Johnny sat on the steps of the ROR house, enjoying a breath of fresh air. He'd awoken feeling surprisingly well, a sure sign that he hadn't drunk enough in his opinion. He looked up and down the Row, seeing the odd monster walking along. The EEKs had set out on a morning jog and a few of the other fraternity and sorority members had made their way further into the campus. He hadn't seen anything of the JOX though, although it was hardly surprising; they were never usually the type to rise early.

After a few more minutes he stood from the steps and was about to make his way in when he heard the door to the JOX house open. Curious, he turned to see who it was leaving the house at such an early hour, although if he were to venture a guess it would most likely be George. He was shocked to find it wasn't a JOX brother at all; more shocked to find it was Randy.

His first thought was to call out to him, but realising it would be a bad idea he simply watched the freshman make his way up the street. Randy didn't take a single look back, seemingly deep in thought and chuckling to himself. Although he didn't know why that was, Johnny was still happy to see him in good spirits. He even risked a chuckle himself as he saw Randy hold his head and groan when he was halfway down the row.

'Seems like our party wasn't a one-off,' he thought with a smile, recalling how drunk the reptilian monster had gotten at his own frat party.

He continued watching until Randy disappeared from sight before continuing his original action of making his way back into the house, a wide smile overcoming him.

"Hey, who's up?" he called as he made his way towards the living space.

"Everyone except Sul," Chip called out.

'There's a surprise,' he mentally sighed. "Alright then, what's the plan for today?"

The whole group looked up in surprise. "Um, don't we usually spend Saturdays studying?" Chip said.

"Well we could do that, I guess," he shrugged. "But I'm in the mood for something else. We can put it off 'til later. Any suggestions?"

The RORs, with the exception of Javier, exchanged puzzled glances. This certainly wasn't like their president.

"Uhh, how about bowling?" Reggie suggested.

"Yeah, seems like it's been forever since we last went," Chip said.

"Bowling it is," Johnny said cheerily. "I'm making breakfast today, my treat."

He then walked into the kitchen whistling happily.

"That was weird," Reggie said.

"Who is he and what has he done with Johnny?" Chip chuckled.

"Knock it off guys," Javier said. "Johnny's entitled to a good day every once in a while."

"Suppose," Reggie muttered.

"Still, wonder what's gotten into him," Chip said.

"Or who he's gotten into," Reggie chuckled, earning him a laugh and a high five from the three-horned monster.

"Just be grateful you get a day off," Javier said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, we get to go bowling!" Chet said excitedly. "Good thing too, this project's giving me a headache."

"Chet, you ain't even looked at it since yesterday," Reggie chuckled.

"So?"

"That hard, huh?"

"Yeah, totally stuck on it," he sighed.

"We'll have a look at it later," Javier reassured the crab-like monster. "So, who wants to wake up Sullivan?"

The other three looked between each other and then back at Javier. Javier simply sighed.

"Fine," he muttered, getting up from his seat. "But I swear whilst we're in downtown Monstropolis I'm buying him the loudest alarm clock I can find."

"Doubt that'll make a difference," Reggie chuckled. "The guy sleeps like a log."

Javier chose not to reply. The whole situation bugged him. Although he himself had insisted Johnny give Sulley more of a chance to prove himself, Javier's own hope was rapidly diminishing. It was clear the big blue-furred monster cared naught for his studies and that wasn't good for the fraternity's reputation, nor did it make him someone Javier wanted to associate with. Famous family name or not, becoming a Scarer took work, and Javier took pride in doing his very best to work for his goal. If Sulley truly was the type of monster to expect everything handed to him on a silver platter then Javier didn't want to know him.

As he strode up to the freshman's room he pushed these thoughts away. Until Johnny openly opposed Sulley's position as a ROR, Javier wouldn't be voicing these opinions, nor would he let his distaste for the freshman show. He sighed as he knocked on Sulley's door.

"Sullivan, time to get up."

"Comin'," came the reply from the other side, and within seconds the door was answered. "Hey Jav, are we heading to the library today? I think there's another book I need."

This was certainly a surprise to the bug-like monster. Not that he allowed it to show. "Not today, Johnny's decided we're going bowling instead."

"Bowling? Awesome! I'll be right down."

Giving a curt nod, Javier turned back to make his way downstairs. He really couldn't figure Sulley out. Whether it was for appearance or not, Javier was surprised he even bothered to express an interest in the library at all. Perhaps he was wrong.

'Wait until the finals,' he thought, still not willing to think any better of the freshman until _proven_ wrong.

He quickly dismissed the thoughts, remembering what else he wanted to do. The mood of his fraternity president didn't concern him, but still struck him as odd, although he didn't even need to ask to know who had caused it. Still, he was going to ask anyway.

* * *

"Again!"

"C'mon Mike, I've done this twenty times already," Randy whined. "Can't I stop for a breather, my head's killing me."

"Maybe you'll think twice before partying all night."

"I already said I was sorry. I just… kinda got dragged into it."

"Sure, sure," he said, waving the excuse off. The pitiful look on his roommate's face did make Mike pause to consider letting him off though.

"Alright, one more try and I'll leave ya be," the green monster chuckled.

Randy breathed a sigh of relief. The lecture he had expected, the torture he hadn't. Although despite how exhausting a task Mike was setting him, he still couldn't help but be amused.

Focusing on everything he'd learned from both practice and study, he tried one last time to keep his camouflage perfect as he silently made his way from one side of the room to the other. He secretly didn't hold out much hope though, if it hadn't worked already, it certainly wouldn't now that he was too tired to concentrate properly.

He unblended by the door, turning to his roommate. "How was that?"

Mike just stared at the reptilian monster, dumbstruck. "Randy, you… you did it!"

Randy offered his own look of shock. "R-Really? I-I did?"

"Yeah, it was… perfect. I didn't see you at all!"

"You mean it?"

"Yeah, I'm sure of it! Not a single scale out of place!" Mike's excitement grew with every word, suddenly realising the gravity of the situation. Randy had finally succeeded in what they'd been practicing so hard to master.

"B-But the finals are still so far away," Randy said wistfully. "I couldn't have mastered it already, could I?"

"Well, it sure looks like you have buddy!" Mike said as he ran to Randy's side, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "'Course, it was only the first time, you'll still need to practice to make sure it wasn't just a fluke, not to mention longer distances and other environments. But I think you've finally got it, Randy! Way to go!"

"Wow…" Randy still couldn't quite believe it. Whether the tips he'd remembered from the book had helped or not he didn't care, he'd finally done it! He'd mastered his blending ability. At least this once. "So… I earned that breather, right?" he chuckled.

Mike laughed. "Sure thing. We can study up on our 101 now."

Randy rolled his eyes. "That wasn't quite what I had in mind."

"Tough," Mike said as he pushed a book into Randy's hands. "I've helped you, you help me. We're going over chapters four through six. I want you to quiz me."

"Oh joy," he muttered for the second time that morning.

The rest of the day passed by fairly uneventfully, but despite boredom setting in when Randy realised Mike intended the whole day being spent studying the same three chapters, he still reeled from the excitement of finally having successfully moved a short distance whilst flawlessly maintaining his camouflage. He realised he still had a long way to go, but hitting that first milestone so quickly only made the day more perfect for him.

Perhaps the fact that he'd been so cheerful helped him focus better, he couldn't be sure. But he was sure things were only going to go up from there.


	17. Chapter 16: Communication

Johnny smiled confidently as he strode his way through the hall. He offered a smile and a wink to a few passing monsters, earning a fair share of blushes and giggles. He enjoyed the attention he could get so easily, particularly in the absence of his brothers, but that wasn't the cause of his smile. No, he smiled because today was the first time he'd be getting some time alone with Randy since they first decided to try and start some form of relationship. It wasn't a relationship in the traditional sense, or perhaps any sense, but it was a start.

He pushed open the door to the room usually used for the club meetings and found that no-one was there. He'd expected it, in his effort to make it to the meeting on time he'd actually arrived twenty minutes early. He was slightly proud of that, actually.

Johnny took a seat and awaited the arrival of all the other club members. He kicked up his feet onto the desk in front of him and made himself comfortable, thinking over what he could talk about with Randy. He was both happy and nervous, the latter being a bit of a new feeling to the senior. He'd been nervous about a lot of things before, of course, but never over a matter of romance. The feeling wasn't wholly unwelcome, though; it only further proved correct his thoughts that Randy was definitely a monster worth waiting for, no matter what may come of it.

He watched time slowly tick by on the overhead clock, growing more apprehensive with every passing minute. It would almost be agonising if it weren't for the excitement that overcame him.

After a few more minutes he almost jumped as the door opened, so absorbed in watching the clock he was he'd all but blanked out everything else around him. He turned to see it was Sonia entering the room.

"Well, well, well, this is certainly a surprise," she said with a large smile. "Of all the monsters I'd have expected to actually be _early_, you wouldn't have been the first monster to spring to mind, Johnny."

"What can I say? Trying to make a good impression this time," he shrugged.

"Well, being that I have no sibling or boyfriend or girlfriend, I'd say it was already a given that you couldn't make a worse one," she said with a slight giggle.

Johnny had to laugh at that. "Hey, I'll have you know I've cleaned up my act."

"So I've heard, though I'd never have believed it."

"Yeah, yeah."

Sonia made her way to the front desk, sorting through a pile of papers she'd been carrying.

"Whatcha got there?" Johnny asked half-interested.

"Oh, just a couple of forms for the upcoming march. I've got to start collecting some names so we know how many coaches to book."

Johnny cocked an eyebrow. "Coaches? Plural? Wouldn't have guessed there'd be so many monsters interested."

"You'd be surprised how much support OAR has gathered over the past couple of years."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I guess, as much as I hate to admit it, you might have had a small hand in it too."

"Me?" he said, his interest piquing more.

"Sure. It's no secret most monsters look up to you, Scaring major or not. And with you being so open about your sexuality, well… It's almost as though you've made being bi cool."

Johnny simply smirked at this. "Well, that's not a surprise. I could wear a sombrero and make it cool."

Sonia rolled her eyes. "Mm-hmm."

"Didn't hear a disagreement there," he chuckled.

"There's probably one thing you couldn't make cool, though," she replied with a smirk of her own.

"Oh? What's that?"

"Humility."

Johnny snorted. "Who needs humility when you're this awesome?" he said, gesturing to himself.

"Sure, sure."

"Anyway, you can probably go ahead and add my name to that list now if you want."

"Really?" she said, looking genuinely shocked. "You'd actually be interested?"

"Sure, why not?" he shrugged. "If it makes the march 'cool'."

"I'm going to ignore that," she said, scribbling something on one of the sheets of paper, presumably Johnny's name.

"Pfft, like you could ignore me."

"With the size of that jaw? Doubtful."

Johnny laughed. "Touché."

The playful banter helped the horned monster settle his nerves. Other monsters began filtering into the room and it would only be a matter of time before he could have his long-awaited private time with Randy.

* * *

Randy had made the meeting barely on time, having been caught up studying, yet again, with Mike beforehand. He still chose to sit a small distance away from Johnny, just in case any wrong conclusions were drawn, but it was only a couple of seats to his side.

The meeting was spent discussing much the same as the last one, with Sonia at one point asking the monsters gathered to sign a sheet that was passed around for the upcoming march. Randy was initially going to pass, but upon seeing Johnny's name at the very top of the list he decided that perhaps it would be a good thing to go to. The date set for it wasn't actually until January, which struck Randy as odd considering the way it had been discussed thus far made it sound much sooner and more urgent, but taking into account the fact that anything going on between Johnny and Randy could well be public knowledge by then only strengthened his conviction in signing up for it. He could have sworn Johnny flashed him a smile from his side when he made his mark.

Apart from that the meeting was, all in all, rather uneventful. Nothing new had really been discussed and Randy had found himself zoning out a couple of times, focusing more on what would be happening _after_ the meeting.

An hour and a half later, the meeting concluded slightly prematurely and one by one Randy and Johnny watched the other monsters leave. Again, as he had done last time, Johnny made his way over to the freshman once sure the last monster had left.

"About time," Johnny chuckled. "Thought the meeting would never end the way she was droning on."

Randy raised his brow at the comment. "You should take these meetings seriously, y'know."

"Oh, I do, I just got a little bored," he shrugged.

"Yeah, me too," Randy admitted.

The two shared a small laugh before descending into silence. No matter what either of them had planned to say, it all dissolved as they were finally confronted with the talk they'd been both looking forward to and dreading.

"So, uh," Randy began awkwardly. "Good weekend?"

"Yeah, not too bad. Took the guys bowling yesterday which proved fun."

"Bowling, huh?"

"It's something we all enjoy doing. Not that we're any good mind you," he chuckled. "Except Sullivan, he did quite well."

The mention, and praise, of Sulley put Randy slightly on edge. "That's… good."

"Boy, you should've seen Chet though. Worst game he's ever played, even with the barriers up. He somehow managed to get a gutter ball. Who gets a gutter ball with the barriers up?"

Both monsters laughed at the thought. "Wow, now _that's_ impressive," Randy chuckled.

"So how about you? I saw you at the party Friday night."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," he said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What was with the wink?"

"Wink? What about it?" he asked, looking puzzled.

"Well, it was a little risky don't you think?"

"No-one was looking," he shrugged.

"But even still-"

"Randy, I flirt with all sorts of monsters. Even if I _was_ caught, no-one would have thought anything of it. It wasn't like we were making out."

Randy blushed slightly at the last part, thoughts of them making out invading what was previously a well-thought out argument.

"But, like I said, no-one was looking," the senior continued. "I double-checked."

"Alright then," he said simply, too distracted to argue further.

"So I saw you and Big Red made things up. His reaction last week wasn't what it seemed, I take it?"

"No, it wasn't," he chuckled before narrowing his eyes again. "Wait, I didn't tell you about that."

"I pieced it together."

"Oh."

"So you're back on track now, right?"

Randy smiled as he recalled the talk he'd had with the JOX president. "Yeah, we are."

"Good. And I saw your skills at ping pong are getting better too," he said with a larger smile.

"I honestly don't know where that came from," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "I don't practice, I just… kinda went for it, I guess."

"Well, whatever it was you did to get so good had Javier impressed," he chuckled. "Although, it looked like you celebrated a little too well."

"What do you mean?"

Johnny laughed again. "I saw you leaving the JOX house yesterday morning. You looked a little worse for wear."

Randy snorted. "It was your fault."

"My fault?"

"Yes, your fault. It was your chilli, specifically."

"Oh, you got a taste?" he said, perking up with a little excitement. "Tell me, how was it?"

"_Way_ too spicy. I had to drink two beers just to get rid of the burning."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," he said, looking slightly disappointed. "Honestly I usually make them milder than that, but Big Red won't have it any other way."

Randy noticed the disappointment in the senior's tone and was quick to reassure him. "Well, I'd be willing to give it another try if it was milder."

Johnny perked back up again. "Then I'll make sure to do just that. But you've got to make more of your cupcakes too."

"Are they really that good?" he chuckled.

"Easily the best I've ever tasted."

Randy blushed. He always liked it when his baking skills were complimented but somehow it meant much more coming from the horned monster. His palette was bound to be more extensive than most considering his wealth. "Well, thanks."

"You're welcome."

There was a brief pause as the two just gazed at each other. In truth, they weren't sure what to say next, but they didn't mind. They were each simply enjoying the other's company.

"So, uh," Johnny began, breaking the silence. "I guess we should get to know each other a little better."

"That would be nice," Randy beamed.

"OK, here's an idea. It's sort of the way we do it back at the frat house. One of us asks a simple question, we both answer, and then the other asks another question. It's always been the easiest way for me to learn more about anyone who joins ROR, to be honest."

"Sounds great."

"Good. I'll go first. Favourite food."

"Uh, cupcakes, actually," he chuckled.

Johnny rolled his eyes. "OK, that should have been an obvious one. I guess my answer's no less obvious. It's chilli."

Randy chuckled. "That _was_ fairly obvious. Favourite drink?"

"Coffee. Yours?"

"Tea."

"Tea?" The older monster grimaced. "That's a woman's drink."

Randy was offended by the statement. "Woman's drink? I'll have you know tea is an incredibly varied and delicate drink. Not like coffee, which is just bitter and overpowering."

"Overpowering? Coffee comes in a variety of different flavours too. Plus it contains more caffeine, making it more efficient in delivering an energy boost should you need it. Tea is just weak and pointless."

"Coffee lacks sophistication."

"Tea lacks flavour."

"Coffee's way too bitter."

"You're just not man enough to handle it."

Neither monster really knew how seriously they were taking the argument, although they both realised the ridiculousness in it. They were relieved to find both had quirked a smile, suddenly laughing at the childish exchange.

"Seriously though, how can you stomach the stuff?" Randy asked as the laughter died down.

"What's so wrong with the taste of coffee?"

"What's wrong with the taste of tea?" he countered.

"It's just never really been to my taste," Johnny shrugged.

"And coffee's never really been to mine."

The two still found the argument amusing. "Agree to disagree?" Johnny offered.

"Sure."

"Right, then at the risk of another argument, favourite music?"

"Classical," the freshman answered without the slightest hint of hesitation. "Yours?"

"Well, I'll admit I do quite like classical music myself. But for me, nothing beats rock."

Randy nodded. "I can appreciate that. I don't like to limit myself to what I listen to. I'd probably dance to any song that plays at a party."

"So I noticed," Johnny chuckled. "If you can honestly call that dancing."

"Hey, I'm learning."

"You've got a _long_ way to go then."

"Alright, smart guy. Next question. Favourite Scarer?"

"Earl 'The Terror' Thompson, naturally."

Randy raised his brow at the answer. "Not your father, then?"

Johnny's face fell upon hearing his father's mention and he looked down to the ground. "No," he replied flatly.

Remembering the way Johnny had mentioned his family two days ago, his curiosity pushed Randy to risk asking further. "Why is that?"

Johnny looked back up, frowning slightly. "Another time, maybe."

Randy nodded. "OK. Well, mine's 'Frightening' Frank McCay," he said, keen to change the topic back again. 'Mostly thanks to Mike ranting on about him,' he thought.

The senior seemed to know Randy wanted to move on from the topic of his father, which he appreciated. He smiled again as he got back into the flow of their conversation, although he became stuck on another question to ask.

"Hmm… How about…" He stroked his chin for a moment, trying to think of another question. "Alright, how about this? Worst childhood experience?"

"High school, without a doubt," Randy chuckled.

Johnny laughed along. "Well, any particular part?"

"Nope. All of it."

"It can't have been _that_ bad, can it?"

"It can and it was."

Although Randy still seemed amused, Johnny's smile dropped. He actually became slightly concerned. "But still, there must have been some good times too, right?"

The freshman saw how concerned Johnny became and decided it best to stop laughing. "No, there weren't really. Unless you count graduation. The only good day I had in high school was the day I left."

"O-Oh," he stammered, at a slight loss of words. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be," Randy snorted. "I'm here now, none of that matters anymore."

Johnny just nodded, not wanting to disagree, but he couldn't help wondering if there was more of a story to be told. He was again reminded of that nightmare he occasionally had, and how the last time he had wondered how similar their stories were.

'Another time,' he again thought.

Randy looked at Johnny expectantly and the senior became slightly confused at first before realising he had yet to answer the question too. Cursing inwardly for putting himself in the position of answering a question he didn't yet want to, moreover a question he himself had asked, he could only offer Randy an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that. It's, uh, not really something I want to go into yet either."

"Well how about best childhood memory?" Randy offered.

Johnny then snorted. "It's probably going to sound kinda lame, but honestly it's the best I've got. It was a day at the beach. My first time going to a beach, actually. Just me, my mom and my father. It was just… one of those typical days most monsters seem to remember having a lot of as a kid."

"So what made it so special?"

Johnny's eyebrows knitted together, but rather than frowning his expression simply became sad. "It was the only day like that I ever had," he almost whispered.

Randy watched as Johnny seemed to gain a faraway look in his eyes, and for a moment he thought the horned monster might actually begin crying. He soon abruptly cleared his throat, though, seemingly getting a grip on his emotions again before returning his gaze to the freshman. "So how about you?"

"Oh, um, well…" He trailed off, not entirely sure if he wanted to tell Johnny. "It… isn't so much my childhood; in fact it was only last year…"

Johnny watched as Randy wrung both sets of his hands repeatedly, becoming uncomfortable. He was considering interrupting the freshman to reassure him he didn't have to explain if he didn't want to before he spoke up again.

"It was when my father left."

"Oh," was all Johnny could offer as a reply. Generally, a separation between parents wouldn't be considered a good thing.

"Yeah, it was… kind of a turning point for me and my mother, actually."

Johnny waited a moment, expecting the reptilian monster to continue. When he didn't, Johnny decided to take that as his cue to speak up. "Did you want to continue, or should we move on to something else?"

Randy opened his mouth to answer and then shut it again. He'd never told anyone much about his personal life, yet something felt right about telling it to Johnny. Still, they hadn't long met, so he didn't consider it too prudent to hold off on all the details for now. "Another time?" he offered.

Johnny chuckled slightly at his own words being used against him, nodding in understanding. "Sure, another time."

Randy smiled, glad that they could both understand certain boundaries in what they wanted to discuss and what they didn't. But he now found himself needing another question. Smirking cheekily, he thought of the perfect question to lighten the mood.

"So, what's this I hear about you managing to get three PNKs in your bedroom at once?"

Johnny burst out laughing at the sudden change in topic. "That was unexpected."

Randy shrugged whilst laughing along with the senior. "I thought it would be. So go on, tell me."

"Alright, first thing's first, that story had been _grossly_ over-exaggerated," he chuckled. "It wasn't at the same time, although it was the same night."

"Still sounds impressive to me. So how'd it happen?"

"OK, well it all started at a party held by Gamma Roar Roar…"

Randy listened intently to the story. He'd since come to terms with the fact that Johnny had been 'around the campus' a few times in the past; since it hadn't really meant anything there was nothing to really dwell on. After all, it was he who Johnny was actually interested in.

The two monsters whittled away the time asking each other different questions, not so much to do with their personal lives since that seemed to be a bit of a grey area, but instead learning other random facts about themselves. It turned out Johnny had quite a few funny anecdotes involving his first couple of years on campus, all of which completely fascinated the younger monster.

Both enjoyed the time they spent together learning just a little bit more about each other and before they knew it a few hours had passed. Deciding they'd spent far too long talking, the two quickly made their way out onto the campus to go back to their respective destinations.

* * *

"It's night," Randy remarked. "This is bad."

It was true, as soon as they'd stepped out into the open and noticed the sun had already set, Johnny was overcome with a bad feeling. He'd made plans to help both Javier and Chet with their projects before preparing to attend a party and he now could well have left it too late to do so. He'd need a damn good excuse.

But he didn't care. He'd enjoyed himself, learned a little more about Randy and grown just a little bit closer to him.

"Never mind," he shrugged.

Randy turned to the senior with a look of disbelief. "Never mind? What are you gonna tell the others? You probably have some party to go to and-"

"I said never mind," Johnny cut in, still smiling. "I don't care. I got to spend time with you, and that means more to me than some party."

The freshman couldn't help but blush slightly at this; Johnny had actually admitted he'd rather spend time with him than attend a party. And he had no doubt his attendance at parties, particularly if it was announced, were crucial to his image.

"Besides, I can easily come up with something. It doesn't usually take a lot to fool the others, well, perhaps Javier, but not the others."

Randy furrowed his brow. "So what'll you tell Javier?"

Johnny rubbed the back of his head, chuckling nervously. "Well, he may sorta… already know about us."

"Oh," he replied flatly. He couldn't rightly oppose that being that Mike and Big Red knew some of the details too, although he didn't think it wise to tell Johnny that. "OK then."

"Don't worry, he's not the type to tell," the senior reassured.

"No, it's fine," Randy said. "But still, we'd both better hurry back."

"I guess so," he replied, his tone suggesting his wish to do the opposite.

"Until Friday then?"

Johnny looked at Randy, still wanting to stay, still wanting _more_, yet all he was offered was a hand to shake. Begrudgingly he took it, sighing before he did so. "Until Friday," he muttered.

Randy simply smirked. "Hey, it's not all bad. We get to talk twice a week, and it's really not long until we can… y'know, perhaps try and do more."

"Do more?" he replied, cocking an eyebrow. "And what would that entail, I wonder?"

Randy giggled slightly. "We'll have to wait and see, won't we?"

"Such a tease," he chuckled. "Well, alright then. I guess we really had better get going. You can join the party if you'd like..?" he trailed off with a hopeful edge to his voice.

The freshman shook his head. "Sorry Johnny, I don't think it's a good idea. Besides, we can't have you winking at me again," he added with a smirk.

"C'mon, I already said I wouldn't have done that if someone was watching."

"Mm-hmm," he hummed disbelievingly.

Johnny just clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, although Randy could have sworn his smile grew wider.

The two simply stood there for a moment, comfortable in both the silence and each other's presence. Johnny then suddenly cleared his throat. "Well then, at the risk of saying goodbye a _third_ time, I really should be going," he chuckled.

Randy was about to counter that it was _him_ who was stalling, but thought better of it, simply smiling instead. "Then again, until Friday."

"Until Friday."

This time the two did part ways, both glancing behind each other a couple of times to sneak a peek at the other. Randy noticed there was a certain spring in Johnny's step as he walked towards Frat Row, making his heart skip a beat, pleased to be the cause of it.

It wasn't a relationship, at least not yet, but it was certainly a start. And it was certainly looking hopeful.


	18. Chapter 17: Confrontation

**A/N: I apologise for seeming to vilify Sulley in this chapter. It will be for good reason in the future, though.**

* * *

Yet again Randy had been lectured on the importance of study. 'Twice in one weekend is sure to knock you off track' was the gist of Mike's thirty minute rant. His roommate had expected him gone for between two and three hours, so he wasn't best pleased when Randy returned to their room almost seven hours later.

Still, all was forgiven and they did do a little more studying before the night was through. Overall, Randy was comfortably ahead on his studies, although not as much as Mike seemed to be.

The reptilian monster awoke Monday morning in a cheerful mood for more reasons than one. Everything that weekend had seemed to go his way; he'd made the first important step towards fully mastering his blending technique, he felt he'd grown just a little closer to Mike through both practice of said technique and studying, which he was now more ahead on than ever before, he'd not only rebuilt his friendship with Big Red and the JOX but also strengthened it, and he'd also grown closer to Johnny.

The last point stuck to him much more than any other. He sighed wistfully as he clambered out of bed, remembering the talk they'd had, how much fun both monsters seemed to have. He didn't know what the future held but he'd never been so hopeful of anything in his life. He liked Johnny and Johnny liked him. Four hours of conversation hadn't ruined that so he hoped nothing else could.

Looking over at his clock, Randy realised he hadn't awoken as early as usual. In fact, just ten minutes later and Mike's alarm would have woken him. Since there wasn't nearly enough time for a morning stroll he settled on giving the camouflage book another quick glance while he awaited his roommate's awakening.

* * *

Johnny slowly made his way up Frat Row towards the ROR house. It had only occurred to him last night that there was one other opportunity to meet Randy alone besides the club meetings, but for whatever reason the freshman didn't seem to have taken a walk this morning. It slightly bugged the senior; he'd made extra effort to get up early just for that reason, which wasn't easy the morning after a party.

Still, he did consider the fact that he was being a little silly, perhaps greedy even. They'd had such a long talk the day before and for some reason Johnny wanted more. Nothing else had to happen; he just enjoyed _talking_ to Randy. He could only say the same of one other monster, his best friend Javier, so to enjoy talking so much to another was a big deal to Johnny. It was a clear indicator as to how much he liked the reptilian monster.

But there was no time to dwell on it too long, classes would begin shortly. Heaving a small sigh he stepped through the threshold of his frat house, ready to prepare himself for the day.

* * *

"And that is why, should you confront an adolescent considered too old to scare, you should abandon the scare and return to the Scare Floor."

Randy scribbled a few further notes as he listened to Professor Knight give his lecture. Mike had once again chosen a seat on the other side of the lecture theatre, although he didn't mind. Of course, Mike and Randy had a lot of time to spend together in their own room, and since Mike never attended parties it was only natural he'd use his classes to socialise with other monsters.

The lecture was nearing its end, but although Knight had gone through everything in the chapter they were currently working on it seemed he wasn't quite through yet.

"Now before you all go I have an announcement to make, everyone," he addressed. "Although the finals aren't for quite a while yet, the date of your mid-terms has been set. Unfortunately, you will be among the first students, so you can expect to take your tests on Monday 19th October."

A collective groan was let out by almost all students in the room. The professor didn't seem to mind this; in fact he merely chuckled and shook his slightly.

"Alright, settle down. I know this isn't the best news, but consider it this way; you will have your mid-terms over and done with sooner than anyone else on the program. It shouldn't be too difficult as it will only cover what we have studied here in class. It will be a written test consisting of just six questions. Not too strenuous, now, is it?"

There were still discontented mumbles coursing through the monsters gathered, although Knight's explanation did seem to placate the students slightly.

"Now then, class dismissed."

* * *

"Did you hear that Randy? We've only got three weeks until the mid-terms!"

Randy found the panic in his roommate's tone amusing. "Mike, three weeks is plenty of time. We've probably studied _more_ than enough for it already." Seeing this explanation didn't seem to calm his roommate, Randy took a slightly different approach. "He did also say it's a written test. That means no need to practice our techniques especially for it."

"I guess you're right."

"Trust me Mike, we'll do great! And it's all thanks to you. We've got practically half the year's material memorised!"

Mike chuckled slightly. "Well, it's like I always say…"

"Never underestimate the importance of studying," the two said together, albeit much more enthusiastically in Mike's case.

"I know, I know," Randy said, chuckling slightly. "And that's exactly why we'll be fine. Just you wait and see."

Mike smiled. It seemed he wasn't the only one gifted with the ability to know what to say.

The two entered the cafeteria to get some lunch before their next class. Mike opted to load his plate up with more food than seemed possible for a monster his size to eat while Randy simply picked up a few sandwiches.

"Someone's hungry," Randy commented, amused at the pile of food on his roommate's plate.

"Yeah, dunno what it is about Mondays but they always seem to make me hungrier," he chuckled.

The two paid for their food and sat at the only empty table available in a far corner. As Randy would have expected, Mike opened up a textbook to read from while he ate. Randy took the opportunity to scan the cafeteria, not for anyone specific but just to witness what was going on around them. It never ceased to amaze him how crowded the cafeteria could seem to be without taking away a monster's elbow room.

While busy monster-watching Randy's eyes fell upon an unwelcome sight. Sulley was currently loading up a plate of food in a similar fashion to Mike. A quick glance about the room told Randy the other RORs weren't there, although it didn't seem too odd considering Sulley seemed to be the only freshman of the fraternity, hence his schedule would be the only one of theirs similar to his and Mike's own.

And then, after his own brief scan of the room, Sulley began lumbering in their direction.

"You might not wanna look now, Mike, but Sullivan's here," Randy warned. "And he's headed our way."

Mike looked up to from his book to see Sulley offering them a large, goofy grin as he walked up to their table. "Hey guys," the blue-furred monster said as he reached them. "Looks like every other table's full. Mind if I pull up a seat here?"

Without waiting for an answer he set his tray down and sat next to Randy, opposite to Mike.

"Guess not," Mike muttered bitterly before returning his attention to his book.

If Randy had been hoping to start a conversation with Mike before, then any hope of that had been dashed now. It would be too awkward in the presence of the one monster neither of them held in particularly high regard. That didn't stop Sulley trying to initiate a conversation of his own, however.

"So, three weeks 'til the mid-terms," he chuckled. "Hope you guys aren't too worried about it. I'm not. I'm sure you'll both do… alright."

Both Randy and Mike sighed. This wasn't an argument either wanted to get into right now.

"Don't you have anything better to do than hassle us?" Mike muttered without looking up from his book.

"Hey, no need to get so defensive," he chuckled before turning to Randy. "Anyway, I actually wanted to talk to you."

"Me?" Randy said, both surprised and slightly annoyed. "Why?"

"Well, I just wanted to say that you played a real impressive game Friday night."

"Oh, uh, thanks?"

"No problem. But seriously, you gotta show me some moves sometime."

"Well, I dunno…"

"Aw, c'mon buddy, it'll be awesome."

Apparently, this was all Mike could take as he let out a loud and exaggerated sigh. Despite the fact he'd hardly touched his food he snapped his book shut and walked off.

"Mike? Where ya going?" Randy called out as he watched his friend walk away.

"Anywhere he isn't," he said, turning around and pointing at Sulley with an angry glare. "But don't worry, you can carry on talking to your new _friend_." The last word was uttered with such venom both other monsters cringed slightly.

Where had that come from? Randy wasn't sure what was going on with Mike but it genuinely worried him. To make Mike think he was on friendly terms with Sulley wasn't the impression he wanted to give at all.

"Mike, that isn't-"

"Save it!" he snapped, holding a hand up. Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the cafeteria.

Randy was left reeling, both confused and upset at his friend's reaction. He hadn't even participated much in whatever conversation Sulley was trying to start, so why Mike even thought Randy was interested was beyond him.

"Ah, forget him," Sulley chuckled, snapping Randy's attention back to him. "You don't need him, anyway. Hanging out with a loser like him is only gonna drag you down."

Whatever emotions the reptilian monster had been feeling at that point were instantly overcome with anger. "What do you know?" he spat, making Sulley recoil. "I'll tell you one thing right now, Mike's going to do better on the program than either of us could ever hope to."

"Pfft, yeah right," he sneered. "He couldn't scare his way out of a wet paper bag."

"Says the one who couldn't tell the difference between a roar and a snarl."

"Oh c'mon, so I got one question wrong," he shrugged. "Big deal."

"But it wasn't just one question, was it?" Randy bit back. "Almost every question you answer in class is wrong! Can you honestly remember a _single_ time Mike has ever gotten one wrong? Because I can't!"

"Look, if you're gonna stick to a loser like him then-"

"I'd rather take a 'loser' like Mike over a cocky, arrogant, dumbass jerk like you any day of the week!"

"What did you just call me?!" Sulley snarled.

"You heard me," he snapped.

Without even dignifying any more of the furry monster's protests with a response Randy stood from his seat and made his way out of the cafeteria.

"Hey, get back here!" Sulley called after him as he watched the reptilian monster exit. He wasn't sure what got him so riled up, and he seriously doubted he'd even _do_ anything about it, but for whatever reason he still wanted to have it out with Randy.

Sighing in frustration when he saw Randy wouldn't give him what he wanted, he slumped back in his seat. He saw a few eyes were still on him as most monsters had stopped to watch the small scene. "What're you looking at?" he snarled at one such monster, to which everyone seemed to flinch before hurriedly continuing about their previous business.

Once sure no-one was looking in his direction he ran his claws through the fur on his face, groaning at what had just happened. He was sure it hadn't done his image any favours.

* * *

It wasn't until after their final class of the day Randy was able to speak to Mike again, but even then it was an hour after once both had gotten back to their dorm room. Mike was studying at his desk when Randy stepped in. They both shared an awkward glance in each other's direction before Mike turned back to the book he was reading.

Sighing, Randy closed the door behind him and made his way over to his bed. He took a seat and sat there wordlessly. The tension was thick in the room and he wasn't sure what to say to break it.

"I heard you defended me," Mike said, almost making the purple monster jump when the silence was unexpectedly broken. "From Walter."

Randy turned to face his roommate who was still buried in his textbook. "Um, yeah…"

Another moment's silence passed before Mike spoke again.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

More silence. Randy would have laughed if it weren't for how serious the situation seemed. Things would never be resolved if the 'conversation' continued at this pace.

After a while, Mike sighed and closed his book, finally turning to face his roommate. "Look, I'm sorry Randy. I obviously got the wrong end of the stick. It's just the way he was talking about the party, it almost sounded like something might've happened between you both. Like maybe you'd become friends behind my back or something."

Randy couldn't stop himself from laughing now, the thought being so absurd to him. To his relief, Mike shared a laugh with him too. "Mike, I don't think I could _ever_ be friends with someone like him."

Mike's brow slanted. "Really? What about Johnny?"

"Oh, well, that's different."

"How's that?"

"Um, well… He has _some_ redeemable qualities."

"Well that's news to me."

Randy rolled his eyes. It wasn't Mike's fault he thought differently, after all it was only through learning about Johnny's personal life that Randy knew Johnny wasn't as bad as he seemed. To anyone else, he probably didn't come across as a nice monster at all.

Deciding to brush past that particular point, Randy returned to the original cause for their problem. "Anyway, trust me Mike, I'd never be friends with someone like _Sullivan_ behind your back. I know how you feel about him, and I thought you knew I felt the same way."

"Well if I didn't before, I sure do now," he chuckled. "'Cocky, arrogant, dumbass jerk' I believe it was."

Randy blushed slightly. "Um, yeah, I might've gone a little overboard. Sorry."

"Don't be," he said with a wide smile. "I just wish I'd stuck around to watch. Apparently he looked set to sock ya one, though."

"I… didn't even think of that," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "But I don't think he would have. He doesn't seem the type." He paused for a moment, looking down. "I dunno what came over me, though. He started talking trash about you and I just snapped."

Mike continued to smile warmly at his friend. "Well, thanks. It's nice to know _someone's_ in my corner."

"Don't mention it."

"But you really gotta learn to control that temper. You've been lucky so far, but one day you might upset the wrong monster."

"Yeah," he said lowly, bashfully rubbing his arms.

Mike noticed Randy's discomfort on the topic and decided to let it go for now. "Hey, don't worry about it. Let's just write this day off as a bad experience and start fresh again tomorrow."

"OK," he said, finally looking up and offering a small smile.

"Good. Now then, let's get some more studying done. Never can be too prepared."

"Great," Randy said unenthusiastically.

Mike chuckled. "What?"

"Oh nothing, I just forgot for a moment that studying was the cure to everything," he replied, shaking his head slightly as he laughed.

"You make me sound like some kind of geek."

"I never said being a geek isn't a bad thing."

"You sure? Doesn't help your chances getting in with the 'cool kids'," he teased.

"No, but going to parties does," he countered.

"Yeah, yeah," Mike said, turning back to his book. "I already told you-"

"After the finals," Randy finished for him, sighing slightly.

It surprised Randy how much the issue still bothered him. As much fun as he had at a party, and despite how quickly he seemed to forget about Mike when he was at one, he still really wanted to take him to one.

It seemed a lot had to wait until after the finals for him and, as he grabbed a book, his thoughts momentarily drifted to Johnny again. The senior probably wasn't going to be happy about the argument he'd had with one of his frat members. It was only then it hit the reptilian monster quite how serious the argument could become. What if he'd just blown his chances with Johnny? It didn't bear thinking about, yet now that was all he could do. For having such a good weekend before, Randy's week was certainly off to a bad start.

* * *

Johnny along with the others looked up when the doors slammed, signalling the entrance of the last ROR left to return. The blue and purple monster stormed into the living area and practically dropped himself onto one of the couches with a huff.

"What's up Big Blue?" Johnny asked, concerned.

Sulley momentarily considered telling him exactly what was wrong before deciding against it. Although he was still angry at Randy and felt he needed to get his own back he also considered the possibility that the argument would get him in trouble too. After all, his outburst would probably be considered detrimental to the ROR image and the last thing he wanted to do was upset his fraternity president.

"Well?" Johnny said after receiving no reply.

"Nothing," he muttered. "Just a bad day."

Johnny and Javier both exchanged a look; clearly not buying the fact the cause for his attitude was as simple as that. The others seemed to accept his explanation, however, going about their previous conversation.

"Well, alright then," Johnny shrugged and no further explanation was offered to him.

As Sulley silently festered in his seat neither Johnny nor Javier looked happy, but neither monster wanted to ask for the truth in front of the others. Still, Johnny felt it may need to be an issue to bring up later.


	19. Chapter 18: Dissolution

**A/N: If you've already read the previous chapter, you may want to take another look. I've added a small scene at the end because I wasn't entirely happy with the way it ended. The first part of this chapter may not make as much sense without reading it. Sorry to be a pain. ^_^**

**One more chapter to come after this, and all in time for Christmas. Enjoy. :)**

* * *

Friday afternoon came quicker than expected. Randy had no further interaction with Sulley and, by the sounds of it, neither had Mike. With the mid-terms having been announced Mike had redoubled his efforts in studying, somehow convincing Randy to do the same, and so he found himself with very little downtime. However, he was 'allowed' to still attend the OAR meetings so long as he didn't take as long as he had the previous Sunday, to which Randy apologised again, more out of habit than anything else.

Randy, of course, was not sorry. If he were to spend as long with Johnny again today he would gladly bear the brunt of another lecture. But he was much more apprehensive this time being that he could be faced with a confrontation rather than a friendly talk. His argument with Sulley had played on his mind all week. At least now he'd find out what repercussions, if any, would be had from it.

The thought still did nothing to settle his nerves. But with the meeting beginning in fifteen minutes he couldn't delay leaving any more. It was time to face his mistake.

"Off now?" Mike asked as Randy stood from the seat at his desk.

"Yeah."

Mike turned to his roommate with a curious expression. "That didn't sound too enthusiastic. Aren't you looking forward to your private date with Johnny?"

Randy would usually have become embarrassed and argued that it wasn't a date, but he was in no mood. "I'll see you later."

With a sigh Randy left his puzzled roommate behind as he made his way out. He really hoped his fears were unfounded, but somehow he doubted they were.

* * *

So, this was it. He still wasn't sure how to feel. The ROR president had managed to get the information he wanted from Sulley, learning the details of the argument that had happened between him and Randy in the cafeteria. On the one hand he was angry with Sulley for making a spectacle of himself, but on the other he could understand Sulley's need to protect both his own image and that of ROR.

And then there was Randy. Johnny was accepting that Randy had a feisty side to him, even going as far as to forget the argument he'd had with Johnny himself. But the freshman had gone and taken another stab at ROR's reputation, intentional or not, and all for that moronic roommate of his. He certainly didn't like the situation, but could he truly say he was angry at Randy for it?

He wasn't even sure he wanted to broach the subject with Randy. What if it blew his chances at a relationship? Johnny didn't think it was a risk worth taking.

Johnny's mind was made up. He wouldn't mention the argument so long as Randy didn't. It wouldn't be happening again, that much was sure. Sulley was warned to stay away from both Mike and Randy, lest another incident like this happened again. Maybe that was enough.

"See you all later," Johnny called out as he made his way from the ROR house.

He no longer dwelled on the thought as he made his way down Frat Row. He'd looked forward to this meeting all week despite the argument and he didn't intend to let it ruin things. They would talk as they had before, have fun and learn more about each other. He hoped.

* * *

The meeting itself was a blur for both monsters. Neither had paid attention to anything said by Sonia, instead growing more nervous as the time approached for them to have their next talk. Before they knew it two hours had passed and everyone else was leaving the room.

As always Johnny took the seat next to Randy. The two looked at each other for the briefest of moments before turning away again. The atmosphere between them was awkward which wasn't a good sign. It was clear they both knew of the issue the argument presented but neither one seemed to want to mention it.

"So… good week?" Johnny asked uncomfortably.

"It's been OK, thanks. And you?"

"Yeah, not too bad."

There was a brief lull in the conversation, broken only when Johnny cleared his throat.

"Doing well with your studies?" Johnny asked.

"Yes, I think I'm comfortably ahead."

Silence fell again. It was clear what needed to be said, it was merely a case of which one would mention it first.

"Listen, Johnny," Randy began nervously. "I'm sorry that-"

"Don't mention it," he cut in.

Randy was taken aback. He wasn't entirely sure if Johnny knew what he was about to say, however, so he felt the need to persist. "But I had an argument with Sullivan. One of your frat members, in front of loads of monsters. Aren't you… upset? Angry?"

Johnny pondered that for a moment. Was he? He still hadn't answered the question whenever he'd asked himself.

Apparently taking too long to answer, Randy sighed, looking down to the ground. "I'm sorry, Johnny. I didn't mean to say what I said. It's just that he was insulting Mike and I wanted to shut him up, so I-"

"Randy, please," he cut in once again. "There's no need to apologise. You were doing what you felt was right. I can hardly fault you for that, now, can I?"

The freshman looked up to see Johnny was actually smiling. It seemed he'd finally decided he wasn't angry after all. Far from it.

"Oh, well, I…" He trailed off, not quite sure what to say.

"Look, from what I heard Sulley didn't exactly conduct himself very respectfully either. I don't blame you for the argument. He should never have started it."

"Oh," was all Randy managed to say.

Johnny frowned slightly. "Randy, please, I'd rather just forget about it. I don't blame you, and I've made sure Sulley will leave you alone in future. Do you think we can move past this?"

It was certainly a better result than Randy had hoped for and he slowly broke a smile. "Sure. Thank you Johnny."

"For what?"

"For being… you," he said with a slight blush.

Johnny smiled wider. "You're welcome, I suppose."

The two spent a moment in silence, soaking in the lighter atmosphere between them. They looked into each other's eyes noting how happy they now both looked.

"So, um," Johnny started, breaking the silence. "Nope, lost my train of thought," he chuckled. "Why don't you start?"

"Oh, uh, well…" Randy paused for a moment, trying to think of something to say before giving in to a laugh of his own. "I don't really know what I want to say."

"Me neither," the senior admitted.

The two shared another laugh before resuming gazing into each other's eyes. Johnny gazed intently, almost as though searching for some hidden answer to an unasked question within the freshman's eyes. He thought he saw a few emotions within the pools of emerald; happiness, contentedness, and perhaps something more.

Johnny's heart almost skipped a beat as he witnessed the beauty before him and that's when it hit him. He _was_ in love. Johnny was in love with Randy. And he couldn't help but wonder if the freshman felt the same.

In the seclusion of the room he thought it a good idea not to voice it, but rather show Randy this realisation and test the waters so to speak. He began leaning in slightly and, when he saw no signals from the freshman telling him to stop, continued to do so. A kiss was surely the best way to show him how he felt.

It seemed Randy agreed with the sentiment as he too began leaning in. The two monsters closed their eyes as they prepared for what they'd been waiting so long for. They would finally have their first kiss, they would both show each other how they felt.

Their faces were mere inches apart and Johnny noticed his heartbeat rapidly increasing its tempo. Randy made a similar observation to his own, but neither paid it any attention. They were going to kiss and there was no-one there to stop them.

The door slammed open and both monsters' eyes snapped open. The two almost leapt back from each other as they turned to face the source of their interruption.

"Whoops, didn't mean to open that so violently…" a female voice muttered to herself.

Sonia walked into the room and headed straight for the front desk, reaching for a pile of paperwork.

"Can't believe I forgot these. I swear I'd…"

She trailed off as she finally took notice of the two other monsters in the room, both looking at her with perplexed faces. "Oh hey guys, forgot some paperwork. What's, uh… What's going on here?" she asked, gesturing to the two of them.

"Just going over some more party themes," Johnny answered coolly. "Y'know Randy here is a bit of a party animal. Hangs out a lot with the JOX. So I figured I'd bounce a few ideas off him."

"Is that so?" she said, not fully convinced that was the case.

"Um, yep," Randy spoke up, snapping out of his daze. "I was just saying that I could probably ask the JOX what they thought too. Maybe see if they had any good ideas."

"Oh, great idea," she said with a smile. "Maybe you could ask them if they'd be interested in hosting one, too."

"Sure."

"Brilliant. OK, well I'm gonna go now. Don't keep him too long Johnny," she added with a giggle, although the innocence in her tone seemed to suggest their explanation had satisfied her.

"I won't," Johnny chuckled as he watched her leave. He then turned back to Randy. "So, where were we?"

Johnny froze for a moment. What he saw wasn't quite what he'd expected. Randy had buried his face in his hands and, although it wasn't quite clear, a slight sparkle of light hitting moisture told Johnny he was probably crying.

"Randy? What's wrong?" he asked, the concern heavy in his tone.

"I can't…"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I can't do it, Johnny," he whimpered before revealing his face, tears falling freely from his eyes. "I can't keep doing this. The secrecy, the lies. I just can't."

"But you were the one who said-"

"I know what I said," he butted in, a slight edge of irritation entering his voice before fading just as quickly. "But I can't, Johnny. Every time we try and get close something comes along and ruins it. We can't kiss, we can't talk when we want to… I keep worrying about doing something wrong. All because we can't be seen together. I just… don't think I can do it anymore."

"But Randy," Johnny started, becoming slightly choked up himself. "I thought we agreed… I thought it would be worth the wait."

"I know, but it's just… I just… I'm sorry, I have to go."

Randy stood from his seat and practically scrambled as he ran out of the room.

"Randy, wait! Don't go, please!"

Despite Johnny's pleas the freshman didn't stop as his tail was the last thing to disappear from view. The senior just sighed and looked down, not sure what to do. Was it his fault? The secrecy was what was upsetting Randy, so it must have been Johnny's fault, or so he thought. He growled as he pounded a fist on the desk.

"I'm so stupid," he muttered to himself. "I shouldn't have made him keep quiet about it…"

He sighed as he continued to sit there, stewing in his thoughts. He tried to think of a way to fix the situation, but wasn't sure there was one.

* * *

Randy ran to his dorm room in record time, all whilst blended, he hoped. He opened the door and stepped in, only unblending when the door was closed behind him.

"Randy, what's wrong?"

The purple monster looked up to see his roommate's face, showing an odd mix of confusion and concern. Mike could see the tears in Randy's eyes and was genuinely worried.

"I'd… rather not talk about it," he said quietly as he made his way to his bed. "I just… need to sleep it off."

"But it's not even seven," he said, not realising how unimportant the point was.

"I know, I'm just… I'm sorry, I just need to sleep," he said as he climbed into bed, turning to face the wall.

"Well, alright then. We can always talk in the morning if you want to."

"Thanks."

Without another word, Randy lay in his bed as he attempted to sleep. It wasn't easy as the thoughts of what had happened ran through his head, and he was sure he'd sobbed a few times, but sleep did eventually consume him.

Mike could only leave his friend be. As much as it pained him whenever he heard a sob from Randy's direction he knew it was best to leave him alone for now. He knew it must have had something to do with Johnny and assumed the worst, but before fully jumping to any conclusions he'd wait to hear Randy out the next morning.

Still, if Johnny had done something to intentionally hurt Randy, Mike was going to make him pay.

* * *

"What's with the long face?" Javier asked as Johnny closed the door to the frat house behind him.

Johnny was glad Javier was the first monster he came across; he wanted to get this off his chest as soon as possible.

"I've blown it," he said simply. "I've upset Randy and I'm pretty sure I've blown any chance of getting together with him."

"The living space is free if you want to talk about it," his friend offered.

Johnny nodded with a sombre expression. "That'd be great."

Javier wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders as he led him towards the large room.

"I really need your advice, Jav," he almost whimpered, on the verge of tears.

"That's what I'm here for," he said with a warm, reassuring smile. "Now tell me all about it."


	20. Chapter 19: Serendipity

**A/N: OK, so this is a _lot_ later than I planned, but FFN decided today would be a good day to start playing up and I couldn't upload it. I'm hoping for some of you this is still in time for Christmas. If not, Merry Boxing Day! ^_^**

**So, I've been a bit... sketchy about the quality of the past couple chapters but I really hope this one makes up for it. I've gotta say I'm pretty proud of this one. :)**

**I may take a short break from writing now that I've actually managed SEVEN CHAPTERS in a week. So the next one might not be until the new year.**

**And with all that out the way... enjoy! :)**

* * *

"So, let me make sure I have the general point of this. You're saying Randy can't handle the secrecy anymore?"

"Yeah, that's basically it. I guess I should've known better. I shouldn't have given him hope so soon. You were right, Jav, I should have been patient. I screwed up. I-"

Javier held up a hand to silence his friend. Johnny promptly shut his mouth whilst watching the bug-like monster seemingly losing himself in deep thought.

Johnny had spent the last twenty minutes pouring his soul out. To any other monster it would have seemed like a pointless rant with only one fact to draw from it, but Javier knew better. The subtleties in his friend's choice of words and tones of voice spoke volumes; he had only to draw the correct solution from this predicament.

Javier went over everything in his mind he knew about every interaction Johnny and Randy had ever had. After a few minutes consideration he felt he had something worthwhile to say. It may not have been a solution, but with a few more questions he could hopefully come up with one.

"You mentioned once that you bumped into Randy on an early morning walk, correct?"

Johnny didn't quite know the purpose to the question, but far be it from him to question his friend's methods. "Yeah, that's right. Why?"

"Does he take an early walk often?"

"Fairly often, by what I can tell."

"Hmm…"

Javier paused to think for a considerably shorter length of time before speaking again.

"Do you think it really is that important to keep it a secret?"

"I… I…" Johnny was torn. As much as he'd like to say no, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"How much have you told him?"

"About what?"

"About _why_ you need to keep it a secret."

"Not much," he admitted.

"Then here's what you do. You meet him on one of these walks. It will be on more neutral ground so he won't feel trapped should he want to walk away. You tell him _everything_. Why you need to try so hard to protect your reputation and why you can't reveal your intentions for starting a relationship with him just yet."

"And you think that'll be enough?"

"I can't guarantee it will be, but it's your best hope. By what you've told me Randy is a fairly understanding monster, so by showing him that at the very least you trust him enough to tell him more about your personal life may hopefully help convince him to stay by your side."

Johnny knitted his brows together, frowning slightly. It was a lot to ask, explaining to a monster he hadn't known for long his life in almost all its entirety. But he had not long ago admitted to himself he loved Randy, so perhaps it was worth the risk. Randy wasn't a malicious type of monster, he wouldn't use the information against Johnny so the worst outcome would be exactly what has already happened; Randy would break things off with him.

Sighing, the horned monster nodded his head. "OK, I'll give it a shot. Do you think tomorrow would be too soon?"

"Not at all, the sooner the better."

Johnny simply sat in silence, gazing downward. His expression showed concern, but there was at least no trace of sadness anymore. Javier patted his shoulder lightly and offered a warm smile when Johnny looked up.

"Don't concern yourself too much with it for now, Johnny. As long as you're sincere, I have no doubt you can resolve this."

"Thanks," he replied, finally giving in to a small smile.

"No need, it's what friends are for."

The two monsters sat in a comfortable silence for a moment. Finally, with nothing else worthwhile to do Johnny decided to retire for the night.

"I'm going to head to bed now, Jav. If I'm gonna be up early, I think I'll need the sleep."

"Well, you _do_ get grouchy without your beauty sleep," he teased.

Johnny laughed at this; his friend's impeccable timing in his humour was always appreciated. "Fair point," he said as he stood from his seat, stretching his legs. "G'night."

"Good night, Johnny."

Johnny headed off out of the living space, but was interrupted before making it out.

"Oh, and Johnny?"

"Yeah Jav?" he said, turning back around.

"It's good to see you smile again."

The ROR president smiled wider, giving a small nod. He then turned back and headed to bed. Sleep overcame him surprisingly quickly despite how upset he'd been only moments ago. The last thought he had was of Randy, and hopefully resolving this new problem presented between them.

* * *

Johnny awoke the next morning fairly early, and to his surprise without the need for an alarm. Looking at his clock he noted the time was 4:48. Based on the time they'd met on Randy's walk weeks ago he figured five o'clock was a good estimate for when the freshman usually headed out on a walk. Still, it didn't leave him much time.

Once out of bed he hurriedly ran a brush through his fur, not bothering to be too meticulous about his grooming, before pulling on a thick plain grey hoodie, opting for something warmer than his usual ROR sweater. He used the short amount of time preparing himself to properly formulate his plan, using Javier's advice and adding small pieces to it he was sure would help.

He quietly made his way out of the ROR house and set off for the dorms at a jog. Despite the darkness his breath was visible before him, the morning air crisp, and quickly he became thankful he had decided on the hoodie.

Looking around Johnny noticed that there was no sign of Randy which meant he hadn't yet left for his walk. Mentally congratulating himself for at least getting that small fact right he came to a stop outside the dorms. He wondered if it would be too much to wait outside Randy's room or if he should stay where he was, but quickly reminding himself he didn't know which room was Randy's he dismissed the notion.

For what was to come Johnny felt rather calm. He wasn't nervous at all. It wasn't due to confidence, he didn't for one second think his plan was flawless, but calm he was nevertheless. He only hoped Randy would decide to take a walk this morning; he doubted this calmness would carry over to the next day.

* * *

Randy woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. He even ventured a smile when he saw he'd woken up early. It quickly faded when memories of the previous day came rushing back to him. The meeting, the almost-kiss and then…

He'd blown it. He broke things off and ran without giving Johnny a chance. In his mind there was no coming back from that. Johnny would probably soon lose interest and move onto someone else.

Sighing, he clambered out of bed and took a quick glance out the window. It was still dark and Randy could almost imagine how cold it was outside. A coat would probably be a good idea. He soon fished one out from his wardrobe and pulled it on, stopping by the mirror a moment to admire the green hued garment. It was his favourite, gifted to him by his mother just a year ago. He smiled sadly for a moment, guilty that he had yet to contact her since coming to MU. He resolved to fix that later today.

Without pondering on it for any longer he quietly headed out of his room and made his way downstairs. He opened the doors and took a deep breath of the cold morning air. He sighed contentedly and began to walk with renewed vigour.

He made it a total of ten steps before he was stopped by a sound he never would have expected.

"Randy."

The freshman turned around to the source of the voice, already knowing who it belonged to. "Johnny?" he gasped.

The two stood in silence. Randy was too stunned for words while Johnny was finally hit by nerves. Facing the freshman had melted away all previous calmness in the horned monster, but he was still determined to resolve this one way or another.

"Would you care to walk with me this morning?" he asked with a warm smile.

Still stunned, Randy could only stammer a small response. "S-Sure."

Putting his hands in the pockets of his hoodie Johnny began to walk, making sure Randy walked beside him, setting a slightly brisk pace. They walked in silence for the first ten minutes, heading through the quad and down a trail leading between the library and the School of Scaring.

"So…" Randy finally spoke up. "Are we heading anywhere specific or..?" He let the sentence trail off, leading Johnny to answer.

"Yes," he said simply, smiling wide.

"OK." He paused for a moment before speaking up again. "Where?"

"The clock tower. It's supposed to be off-limits to students and the entrance is always locked, but… let's just say I got a hold of a spare key a couple years ago and 'accidentally' forgot to give it back."

Randy afforded a chuckle. "So, it's your own special place, huh?"

"Precisely. Suffice to say we'll be alone, even if it wasn't so early on a weekend."

Randy let this sink in as the rounded the corner of the School, the clock tower coming into full view. It was an impressive structure, one that was proudly spoken of by most monsters on campus, student and faculty alike. He doubted many got to see the interior though, so to be able to do so was already a gift in itself. The fact that Johnny was the one to enable him to do it, despite what had happened yesterday, was simply a bonus. He did have to question Johnny's motives, however.

"So why are we going there?" the reptilian monster asked.

"To talk," the senior replied.

"We couldn't do that on our walk anyway?"

"I thought it would be better with a nicer view to behold."

Again Randy offered a chuckle. "Alright then. I'm certainly not complaining."

It surprised them both how light conversation seemed to be between them, sparse as it may be. Johnny could only hope their talk would be just as pleasant.

Reaching the clock tower Johnny looked around them, ensuring no-one would spot them. He then pulled out a key from his pocket, a slightly golden hue hidden behind a layer of rust, inserting it into the lock and twisting a few times before a click could be heard. He withdrew the key and slowly opened the door, gesturing for Randy to enter first before pulling the door shut on them both.

"Hope you're ready for a climb," the horned monster chuckled.

Johnny hadn't been kidding. Randy lost count after the first hundred steps and they hadn't even made it halfway up. By the time they made it to the tower's peak the younger monster was gasping for breath. When he turned to face Johnny he was met with a raised eyebrow and fangs curled in an amused smile.

"I know… need to… hit the gym… more often," he gasped, laughing as best he could.

"No, it's fine," Johnny chuckled. "Kinda cute, actually."

Randy blushed as he took a moment to fully regain his breath. Once he had Johnny curled an arm around his shoulders and led him towards the edge. "C'mon, you're gonna want to see this."

The view was spectacular. There was an eerie glow on the horizon signalling the coming sunrise and, despite being bathed in darkness, the whole campus was visible, slightly illuminated by the light provided by street lamps and the various buildings where lights were on either inside or out.

"Wow," Randy gasped. "Johnny, this… this is amazing!"

He could practically feel the rapid movement of Johnny's chest as he laughed, smiling wide at the freshman.

"I'm glad you like it. As far as I know, apart from a handful of faculty members no-one gets to see this." He paused for a moment as he took in the view himself. "I like to come up here sometimes when things become too stressful. It's nice to just lock myself away from the world and have a little time to contemplate." He then looked down upon Randy as he placed a finger under the other's chin to bring his gaze to meet his own. "I've never brought anyone up here before, y'know."

"R-Really?"

"Yes. I've always liked to keep knowledge of this place to myself…" He trailed off and looked away for a moment. Randy could have sworn he saw hints of a blush before he spoke up again. "There's never been anyone I wanted to share it with before."

Randy was touched. He'd only the day previous broken up with Johnny, if there was a relationship to break up, and yet here he was doing something so profound, so _loving_, Randy couldn't help be moved by it.

With a sigh Johnny released Randy and took a seat on the edge of the tower, patting a space beside him to signal the younger monster to do the same. Once he did, Johnny spoke up again.

"Randy, I know what you said yesterday, and I understand why you're frustrated, but all I ask is you simply hear me out. Is that alright?"

"Of course. I… I felt guilty about how I left things, so I owe you that much."

Johnny turned to face Randy, a slight frown displayed on his face. "I don't want you to stay because you feel obligated; I want you to stay because you want to."

Despite the seriousness in the older monster's tone, Randy couldn't help but laugh. "Of course I want to."

Johnny began grinning again, feeling relieved. "Good." He then turned back to the view, sighing slightly. "I hope you're prepared to be here a while, it's a bit of a long story. Since it is presenting such a problem, I want to tell you exactly why it's so important for me to maintain my image.

"You see, growing up in the shadow of a family of famous Scarers isn't the lightest of responsibilities. I don't know how much you know of the Worthington name, but my mother is a Scarer as well as my father and his father before him. In fact, it goes back as far as I care to know. Worthington and Scaring have always gone hand in hand, so when I was born my destiny was pretty much already marked out for me.

"I didn't have a dreadful childhood. But it wasn't a particularly happy one, either. My father is an incredibly proud monster and his reputation means more to him than anything else." He sighed slightly. "I sometimes wonder if it means more to him than my mother and I. Work was always more important than family life so we never grew close. If you recall, the only memory I have of spending any personal time with him was that one day at the beach. Other than that, any interaction between us is purely about my studies.

"I'm _expected_ to be the very best in what I do. I was born a Worthington, and therefore I was born to be a Scarer. As my father's reputation means so much to him, so too does mine. Like I said before, I couldn't care less what others think of me. But my father does. It's been that way my whole life. He's always dictated what I should do, who I should be friends with, what direction I should take in every aspect of my life. It wouldn't surprise me if he would also dictate who I should love …"

He paused a moment with that last thought, chancing a quick glance at Randy who regarded him with saddened eyes. When sure the freshman was willing to continue listening he looked back out and continued. "The one and only time I ever outwardly opposed him… Well, it wasn't a pretty sight. Now, I've always had the occasional beating whenever I didn't perform to his standards in school, nothing too serious, he never left a mark, but that night…" His eyes glazed over as the memory came back to him, clear as the day it happened. "The look on his face… It was pure rage. How dare I oppose _him_ of all monsters. It was the one and only time I can honestly say I was truly terrified of my father… I ended up in hospital for two weeks.

"My mother wanted to leave him after that, but for whatever reason she never did. Now, I don't want you to think badly of her, mom has always been on my side. It's thanks to her I have any freedom in my life at all. In a way, whatever swayed her decision must have been right because it never happened again. In fact, my father never once became physical with me after that night. It never made him less controlling, though…

"And so one day I ended up here; Monsters University. As soon as I set foot on campus I was ushered into Roar Omega Roar, the fraternity all males of my family joined. They're the best of the best, exactly what I was expected to be. And it's that very expectation that plagues me to this day. I took over as president in my sophomore year and I'm expected to lead ROR into victory in all areas of college life. My members need to outperform everyone in their studies, we throw the biggest parties, we have the biggest presence on campus, we're expected to win the Scare Games year on year, and again I'm expected to only socialise with the best, too. My father has a hand in a lot more than even I can imagine, so I have to uphold all of that responsibility even now. I always thought college would be my escape, but it became the exact opposite…" He gave a weak chuckle. "Now more than ever I feel the pressure. I'm still expected to be the best. It doesn't matter what I want, only my father's wants matter."

He then turned back to Randy who had been listening intently to the whole talk, and Johnny noted he'd even begun crying. He reached out a hand to carefully wipe the tears from the freshman's eyes, gently shushing him, reassuring him that there was no need to be upset. "It's OK, though. So far I've outperformed any expectations there have been of me. But…" He sighed sadly as he looked down for a moment, biting back his own sadness before looking back up. "That's… that's the reason why I can't tell anyone about us. That's the reason why we can't be together, not publicly. At least, not yet."

Without warning Randy almost leapt at Johnny, wrapping all four of his arms around the senior as he began soaking his hoodie with tears. "I'm so sorry, Johnny. I should have known… I should have tried to understand…"

Johnny rubbed Randy's back as he returned the hug, gently shushing him again. "It's OK, Randy. I should have explained sooner."

"You tried to, though. You said it was because of your family. I should have understood."

Johnny broke the hug, although he kept hold of Randy's upper arms, and looked him in the eyes. "You shouldn't have done anything, Randy. It was unfair of me to have laid the expectation on you to go along with what I wanted without explaining why."

"You have now," he offered with a small smile.

The senior returned the smile. "I guess I have."

The two continued to look upon each other, their smiles slowly growing wider.

"It's… not too late, is it?" Johnny ventured.

"No. It's not… if you'll still have me," he chuckled nervously.

"Of course I will. Randy, you are a monster worth holding out for. I only hope you feel the same way."

"Yes, Johnny, of course I do. To think, of all the monsters you could have had on campus… You chose me. Even though at first you probably just saw a geeky little lizard that wouldn't get very far on the Scaring program."

Johnny chuckled nervously. He opened his mouth to apologise before Randy held a finger to Johnny's lips.

"No need," the freshman said. "Because despite that, you looked past it and saw _me_. Not many monsters have ever done that, least of all someone as popular as you are. Johnny, you have no idea what that means to me." Tears began forming again as he smiled wider, his expression seeming almost loving. He'd come to a sudden realisation and without thinking he'd already voiced it. "I'd be a fool to let you go."

Johnny's heart skipped a beat and he felt he could melt like butter. The loving smile Randy offered him, his words, the kindest he'd ever heard, all of the signals pointed to the fact that he had probably fallen in love with Johnny too.

The view, the conversation, the look in the other's eyes... All of the pieces had fallen into place and Johnny wanted to take his chance. This time there would be no interruption. This time the moment would be theirs and theirs alone.

"You know," Johnny began with a smirk. "We _are_ alone."

"That we are," he replied, his smile only growing.

The two continued to look into each other's eyes for a moment. There was a silent agreement between them and they knew this was it. This was _finally_ it.

Johnny traced one hand up Randy's arm while curling the other around him, lightly trailing his claws up the freshman's neck, brushing his fingers across his face. Shuddering in anticipation, Randy placed his hands on Johnny's chest, gently gripping at his hoodie. The senior gently stroked the fronds on the other's head, earning a slight shudder from the younger monster. His smile widening, he held his hand to the back of Randy's head as he slowly leaned in, Randy in turn gently pulling him in too.

They closed their eyes in anticipation as they finally claimed the moment as their own. Closing the gap their lips connected and the whole world around them dissolved. To them, there was nothing else; there was no-one else. For them nothing mattered but the other monster in their embrace.

It was all they had expected and more. Fireworks went off in Randy's mind and, truth be told, they had in Johnny's too. Never before had the senior experienced a kiss so tender, so loving.

The kiss was all too short, yet it was all either of them needed. As they parted they once again gazed lovingly into each other's eyes.

"So you'll wait for me?" Johnny asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to confirm it one last time.

"Yes," Randy replied, not needing to say more.

Randy leaned his head on Johnny's shoulder as he pulled him in closer. They both gazed out as the sun began to rise. No doubt the sunrise was also part of Johnny's plan, but Randy didn't grace the thought with more than a passing interest. It was just the two of them under the most perfect of settings. Planned or not, Randy didn't care. The moment was perfect and nothing could bring down either of their spirits.

The moment was theirs and nothing would take that away from them.

* * *

**Merry Christmas. ;)**


	21. Chapter 20: Comfort

**A/N: And so we're now back to the once-a-weekend deal. And maybe more if I can manage it. ^_^ Hope all you lovely readers had a great Christmas and New Years.**

**So... the long awaited time-skip. Only about... 10 chapters late, I think. Haha. I'm going to start speeding up the passage of time a little because now that we've gotten to the first kiss, there's not quite as much need to dwell on all the little things. And honestly, I don't want to be writing this fic forever, much as I enjoy it. :)**

**And without further ado, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

A couple of weeks had passed by and, for the most part, nothing much had changed in both monsters' lives. Randy was still living and breathing his Scaring studies thanks to Mike, as well as attending the odd JOX party, while Johnny still had the duties of performing his best in all classes, helping his fraternity brothers do the same and hosting his own parties which, to his disappointment, still had a lack of a certain reptilian freshman. But for all the non-changes in their lives the biggest was their relationship, although both still wondered if they could call it that, which had remained the same; secret.

But that no longer mattered. The thought of that one morning on the top of the clock tower was all it took to melt either monster's worries away. They hadn't shared a kiss since then, but they still had their club meetings to talk, and talk they did. They learned more and more about each other as time progressed, and for now that was all they needed.

For Randy, it was now finally time to take the first step to proving himself. The day of the mid-terms had arrived and, for all the worrying he had done before, he felt strangely confident as he strode up the steps to the School of Scaring. He was happy in a way and he was sure nothing could bring him down.

"I can't believe the nerve on that guy!" Mike spoke up, his bitter tone snapping Randy out of his small sense of euphoria. "He actually had the gall to wait for us outside the dorms and for what?"

"To wish me luck?" Randy offered.

"Exactly! To… Wait, what?"

Randy chuckled. "Mike, Johnny wasn't waiting for _us_, he was waiting for _me_. To wish me luck on the mid-terms.

"Oh. Oh yeah. But still! Did you see the way he looked at me?!"

A small sigh escaped the reptilian monster. "Mike, you're imagining things. There was no _look_. He doesn't have that much of a problem with you, it's Sullivan who does."

"I'm imagining things?" Mike said incredulously. "_I'm_ imagining things? Randy, I dunno in what way that guy's brainwashed you but he's out to get me I'm telling you!"

Randy rolled his eyes. Sure, he knew Johnny didn't exactly respect Mike, but to say he was out to get him was a bit of a stretch. But Randy knew there'd be no arguing with his roommate, so he decided to brush it off instead. "Look, just don't worry about it. Keep your eye on the goal. We're here to take the exam and we're gonna pass it, alright?"

Mike sighed before perking right back up again. "You're right, you're absolutely right! We're both gonna show 'em! We'll ace the mid-terms and then we'll see who's laughing!"

"Now you're talking!"

The two entered the building and their smiles immediately dropped at what they saw. Right outside the entrance to the classroom was Sulley along with the other RORs, Johnny at the forefront patting the freshman's shoulder with an earnest wish of good luck. Mike was perturbed by this for the obvious reason of his dislike for the fraternity, but Randy also felt unsettled by the scene. He felt a pang of… jealousy?

'No, can't be. What do I have to be jealous about?' Randy thought to himself. It was a simple wish of good luck between fraternity brothers. He was letting his feelings towards Sulley cloud his judgement. In fact, just the previous day Johnny had been complaining about Sulley's attitude and had even said he'd wished he picked someone else during Rush Week.

The line of thought put Randy at ease, but Mike was almost bristling. The short green monster made to charge up to them but Randy held a hand out in front of him.

"Leave it Mike, remember what I said. We're here to take the exam, nothing else. It's not worth risking getting in trouble."

"Fine," he muttered, still looking none too happy. He stormed off into the classroom without giving the RORs, or even Randy, a second glance.

Randy simply sighed and followed him, although he did spare a look at Johnny as he passed to find a small, discrete smile directed his way. Randy offered a small thumbs-up before making his way in.

The theatre was already crowded with monsters and Randy had a hard job spotting his roommate, although his eyesight may not have helped him in that regard. Once he'd spotted Mike seated in the front row he made his way down and took a seat next to him.

"OK, ready to go over our notes one last time before we start?" Mike asked.

"Sure," he shrugged. He wasn't sure how much help it would be since Mike had drummed every single detail of their books up their current point of study into his head, but he supposed it couldn't hurt.

He did offer himself a small smile, though. His confidence still hadn't been shaken.

* * *

"How do you think he'll perform?" Javier asked as he walked to class with Johnny and Chet.

Johnny shrugged. "I honestly don't know, Jav. He seemed sincere when he said he'd studied harder, so I'm hopeful. Just not… _too_ hopeful."

"And if he fails?"

"If he fails, then he's out, it's as simple as that."

"Oh! But what if he passes… but doesn't do very well?" Chet chimed in.

Johnny sighed. "Then I guess I can't kick him out. I won't be happy, but…" He trailed off, torn between two choices. He could perhaps still kick Sulley out of the fraternity, but on the other hand he could finally give the freshman an ultimatum. Pass the finals with top marks, or _then_ face being booted out of ROR. "I'll lay down the law," he said resolutely. "He'll learn what it takes to be a ROR, or he's out."

"Are you sure it would be a good idea to allow him to stay if he doesn't perform well in this exam?" Javier asked, not looking too impressed with this decision.

"No, but the Scare Games are coming up soon and I _really_ don't like my chances of finding a replacement before then," he sighed.

"Then would it not be an empty threat?"

"Javier, please, just drop it."

Javier's antennae twitched with irritation. He was more than sure they could find a suitable replacement for Sulley and honestly he wanted it done as soon as possible. But he'd agreed with himself to abide by Johnny's decision. "Fine."

'Two hours,' Johnny thought to himself. 'Two hours and we'll know if we have a problem…'

Momentarily the thought of Randy's own exam was forgotten, concern over the future of his fraternity taking priority in Johnny's mind. And he wasn't feeling nearly as confident.

* * *

The exam didn't officially start until about an hour after their arrival meaning Randy and Mike were able to briefly go over almost all of their course material again beforehand. If he hadn't been confident before, Randy certainly was now.

"Good morning class, it seems that time of year is upon us," Professor Knight called out. "The winter mid-terms. I trust you've all aptly prepared yourselves, for a bad grade here will affect your overall score at the end of the semester."

"Piece of cake…" Sulley could be heard muttering.

Randy and Mike both exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes, flashing a small smile. They both knew how badly Sulley seemed to be performing in class, so his confidence had slowly become less annoying and more amusing.

"You have one hour in this exam," Knight continued, "which I hope you should find to be more than enough time. No conferring and no leaving your seats until the allotted time is up. And… you may begin."

Randy, along with every other monster, flipped over the sheet on which the questions were printed.

'OK, question one,' he read mentally. 'Child Toxicity may cause major damage to various organs which can lead to the lethality of the entire body. Name this syndrome… Heh, wow, this _is_ gonna be easy.'

He couldn't believe it. A whole hour for just six multiple choice questions was almost laughable. It was all too easy. Six separate letters circled in the span of ten minutes. Although he wasn't quite sure why he felt he needed to, Randy double-checked his answers and was satisfied they were all correct.

'This was what the fuss was about?' he inwardly chuckled.

He braved a quick glance around the room. Mike smiled at him confidently, having finished his own. A few other monsters seemed to have also finished, while others were busy circling their last couple of answers. One monster in particular, however, seemed to be struggling, his big blue-furred brow furrowing as he seemed to be muttering to himself. Randy had to snap his head away and clamp his hands to his mouth to stifle a giggle. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he noticed this had gone undetected by the professor who was watching keenly from the front. In fact, Knight's gaze seemed to be falling on Sulley, too, and he didn't look impressed.

Sitting in silence, bored, Randy awaited the end of the exam, not daring to look around again. The time seemed to pass slowly and he quickly became uncomfortable in his seat, itching to just stand up and leave. It wasn't until the hour was over that he braved a quick fidget to get slightly more comfortable.

"Pencils down everyone," the professor called out.

Again, Randy had to stop himself laughing as only one pencil dropping could be heard. He could hazard a good guess as to exactly who that pencil belonged to.

"Please pass all papers to the end of the row so I can collect them."

The professor went around and collected the papers as they were passed to the ends of the rows and took them back to the main desk set up at the front of the room.

"You may talk amongst yourselves," he said as he set about marking the papers.

"Psst, how'd it go?" Mike said from Randy's side.

"It was surprisingly easy," Randy replied with a smile. "I couldn't believe it."

"Well, it _was_ only the mid-terms. What did you expect?"

"With the way you were making us study?"

"Yeah, yeah. Still, you get them all right?"

"Definitely," he said, his smile becoming more confident.

"Great! Hey, did you check out Sullivan?"

"Yeah, I had to stop myself laughing."

"I saw," Mike chuckled.

They continued their small talk until the professor called the room to silence again. He passed back the papers to the ends of the rows for them to be passed along, but decided to hand each paper individually to the front rows. Once he reached the two, Randy did become just slightly nervous.

"Excellent work, Michael," he said as he passed Mike his paper back, a large A+ proudly displayed on the top.

"Thanks, professor," he beamed.

"And a brilliant job from you, too, Randall," Knight said as he handed Randy his own paper back, the same grade adorning it.

"Thank you, professor," he said, his smile growing wide again.

"Told ya there was nothing to worry about," Mike whispered with what was presumably a wink.

Randy rolled his eyes. "OK, so I stressed out for nothing."

"You may leave one row at a time starting from the back," Knight called out.

Each row of students filed out one by one. Randy and Mike didn't utter another word, although they'd probably be talking freely once out of the room. However, when the front row began to leave Mike ran out ahead of Randy.

"M-Mike?!" Randy called out confused.

The short green monster either didn't hear or didn't pay attention, continuing his sprint, leaving Randy even more baffled. And then a realisation came upon him. He was most likely going to rub his grade in Sulley's face. And the other RORs if they were waiting for him. He pondered if he should race after him, but decided against it. No matter what he could say to try and convince Mike it wasn't a good idea, he probably wouldn't listen.

The scene that greeted him when he exited the building was truly a spectacle. Mike was walking off in one direction, a slightly smug swagger in his step, while Sulley made his way back to Frat Row seemingly without a care in the world. The other RORs, however, had been left behind at the top of the steps grumbling disapprovingly. His suspicion had been right; Sulley hadn't done well in the exam.

"At least he passed," Reggie grumbled.

"Yes, barely," Javier said bitterly.

"He's gonna have a _lot_ to think about once I'm through talking to him," Johnny growled.

Randy seemed to go unnoticed as he stood at the entrance to the school. He wasn't sure if he should walk past them, go back inside, or simply wait and see if they moved off. Before he could come to a decision, whilst the others continued grumbling Johnny turned his head slightly, catching a glimpse of purple scales. Looking back at his frat members to be sure they weren't looking, he turned to fully face Randy with a questioning look. Randy held up his paper to show the senior his grade, to which he smiled and returned the freshman's earlier gesture of a thumbs-up.

"Talk later," he mouthed to the freshman, gesturing to the clock tower before holding up six fingers, finally turning back to his brothers to usher them along.

As the RORs began making their way back to the row, Randy quickly made his way back to the dorms, his heart skipping a beat. It would only be his second visit to the clock tower, and he secretly hoped for a repeat of what had happened last time.

* * *

"Hahaha! You should've seen the look on their faces Randy!"

"Mike, I keep telling you-"

"Oh c'mon, lighten up Randy, we did it! We've taken the first step towards proving to them how wrong they were."

"I know Mike, and that's great, but do you really think it's wise to keep antagonising them like that?"

"Why not? I told you how they treated me. I'm just giving them a taste of their own medicine!"

"Can't you just be the bigger monster here?"

"The bigger monster? What're you talking about? I'm just having a little fun."

"But Mike, I-"

"Alright, alright, I'll tone it down, okay?"

In all honesty, the constant interruptions were starting to irritate Randy, as much as Mike's behaviour towards the RORs. He'd finally caught up with Mike back at their dorm room and the green monster had done nothing but laugh at the RORs' expense. And he wasn't listening to a single word Randy said.

The reptilian monster sighed and made his way to the desk, dropping his supplies there and settling down in the seat. They had the afternoon off on account of the exam, and Randy wasn't sure if he wanted to stick around if Mike was going to continue behaving like this.

Thankfully, he seemed to be through with his fun as he settled at his own desk. "How about we get a head-start on the next chapter?" he asked.

"Um, we already did, didn't we?" Randy replied.

"Well, sure, we gave it a bit of a skim, but I'm saying we study it properly this time."

"Mike, it doesn't take two hours and a pop quiz to skim a chapter," Randy chuckled, relieved at the change in humour.

"Well, I suppose not, but we can always study it harder!"

"Actually, Mike, I was going to take another look at the camouflage book."

"Oh, sure, grab the book that lover boy gave you," he said sarcastically before breaking out into a chuckle.

Randy didn't find it quite so funny. In fact, he was slowly starting to realise Mike really didn't think to spare his feelings whenever making a quip about Johnny. It actually upset him, but he wasn't sure whether or not to mention it. He inwardly cursed at the fact that he never saw it being a problem, despite Mike's initial reassurance that it wouldn't.

It was a fact. Mike didn't like Johnny, and Johnny didn't think much of Mike. Randy considered the fact that it was just one of those things he'd have to learn to accept if, in fact, the finals didn't change things. And if he was honest with himself, Mike was every bit as worth it as Johnny. He didn't want to lose either one for the other.

So he kept quiet and allowed Mike his quips. He probably didn't mean it personally against Randy, it was just… one of those things.

"Well, it's helpful. I know I wouldn't be able to do what I can now if it weren't for your training, but the tips in here are really helping too."

"Sure, sure," Mike said, brushing it off before burying himself in a textbook.

Randy just rolled his eyes and opened his own book, reading from it. He hovered over the inside cover a moment, taking in the intricate insignia of ROR. His thoughts drifted to what that night would have in store. Perhaps he'd earned something special in way of congratulations.

His sly smile lasted him the entire time even as he read from the book. That niggling thought of another kiss wouldn't go away.

* * *

Having had the rest of the day's classes to dwell on the argument to come, Johnny wasn't in the best mood when he got back to the ROR house. He stormed in and searched around the house for any sign of blue and purple. The others, looking to appease their president, set about looking for Sulley too.

"Where is he?" Johnny growled after finally giving up his search. His patience was already wearing thin, and the current situation was doing no favours.

"He's not anywhere downstairs as far as I can tell," Chip said.

"Not in his room either," Reggie added.

"And he's not anywhere around the perimeter of the house," Javier said.

"Dammit, Sullivan, you're _really_ pushing your luck…" Johnny grumbled to himself.

The horned monster stormed upstairs and entered his bedroom, slamming the door behind him, making the others wince.

"Boy, I've not seen the boss this mad in a while…" Chet commented.

"Give it a rest, Chet," Chip said as he made his way into the living area along with the others.

Meanwhile, up in his room, Johnny took a moment to calm down. It was probably best he didn't find Sulley in the mood he was in; this called for diplomacy. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd gotten quite so angry; perhaps it was Sulley's continued insistence that he was studying harder, which had been proven to be a lie.

Still, that could wait for later now. Johnny figured if the freshman was hiding his sorry hide then that was fine by him. He had somewhere better to be in an hour and he'd be damned if he let anyone stop him.

* * *

"You don't seem your normal self."

Johnny looked over to Randy who was sat beside him on the edge of the clock tower, just as they had done two weeks previous. It was true, they'd spent the entire time in silence besides a quick greeting at the entrance and Johnny only now realised how nervous he was making the freshman.

"I'm sorry, Randy, I've… just got a lot to deal with right now."

"Is it about Sullivan?"

Johnny sighed. "Yeah. You're not gonna go rubbing that in my face like Wazowski did, are you?"

Randy gasped. "Of course not. You know I'd never-"

"I know, I know…" he butted in. "I'm sorry, it's just everything seems to be working against me right now."

Silence fell upon them again and Randy squirmed slightly. He was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, especially since he didn't know what to do to make the senior feel better. Johnny took note of this and scooted closer to the reptilian monster, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him closer.

"Anyway, enough moping on my part. I never got to properly congratulate you. You did astoundingly well."

"I told you I would."

Johnny chuckled. "Yes you did. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

Thankful that the air was finally beginning to clear between them, Randy felt comfortable enough to lean into Johnny, resting his head against the other's chest.

"I wish I could take your worries away," Randy suddenly said, a slight wistful edge to his tone as he closed his eyes, becoming more comfortable.

"Oh, don't worry about me," he replied. "Things'll work themselves out one way or another. Just you focus on your own studies. I want to see your name on the top of that list."

Randy's eyes snapped open and he looked up at the senior, a slight look of shock on his face. "Even above Sullivan's?"

Johnny snorted. "If he carries on the way he is he's not even going to pass."

Randy sighed. "What'll that mean for you?"

"An incredibly big headache," he chuckled, trying to make light of the situation.

"O-Oh…" Randy said, looking down.

"But like I said, don't worry about it. Things'll work out."

Johnny pulled Randy back in, the freshman in turn leaning his head back on the senior's chest. Johnny leant down and planted a kiss on the top of Randy's head. "I hope you know how special you are to me."

"I am?" he said without looking up, content in listening to Johnny's heartbeat and feeling the low vibrations of his voice as he spoke.

"Of course you are. I have no doubt if I didn't have you here to make _me_ feel special, I'd have probably lost it by now."

Randy smiled. It wasn't exactly the second kiss he'd hoped for, but the words that accompanied it meant so much more. He silently pondered if it was too soon to use the big L word, because the moment almost felt perfect to say it.

'Perhaps another time,' he thought, tempting as it may have been.

The two stayed there for more time than both could recount. They didn't speak another word, simply comfortable in each other's embrace, their worries melting away as they always did. They watched the bustle of monsters below and were made even more aware of how lucky they were to be able have this kind of peace away from it all.

The time did eventually come when both monsters decided they needed to leave, mostly prompted by the fact that Randy realised he was comfortable enough to fall asleep in Johnny's arms. Not that Johnny would have minded.

They parted feeling just a little better than before, but still somewhat empty. They knew why, but it wasn't something they could do anything about. Johnny did sneak a quick peck on Randy's cheek before leaving, laughing as the freshman blushed when a group of monsters rounded a corner of the building towards them.

Randy made the trip back to the dorms almost feeling that same euphoric feeling he had that morning before the exam. He knew his relationship with Johnny wasn't official, it was still secret, but he was joyful for the moments they had. He was happy. He was content. Wasn't he?


End file.
